


Undying Fidelity

by silveryink



Series: Charmed [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Avenger Loki (Marvel), Avengers Family, Awesome Frigga (Marvel), BAMF Loki (Marvel), BAMF Sigyn (Marvel), Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, I don't want to tag Thanos as a character, I'm Sorry, Implied/Referenced Torture, Loki (Marvel) Gets a Hug, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Loki (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Mind Control, Mind Manipulation, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Sigyn is the Actual Best, Tags May Change, The Revengers - Freeform, Thor (Marvel) is Not Stupid, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, and also, but he makes a minor appearance in chapter 28, they show up in the next chapters don't worry, they're doing their best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-06-29 04:11:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 76,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15721707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveryink/pseuds/silveryink
Summary: In which Loki does not let the Frost Giants into the Vaults of Asgard, and talks things out with his family about his heritage.





	1. A New King

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr as silveryinkystar

 

Loki frowned as he glanced at the ensemble before him. “I know Father said that the proper attire for a coronation is ceremonial armour, but this is something else entirely.”

Sigyn raised an eyebrow. “You’re the one who had this made.”

“And I sincerely regret it.”

“Too late now,” she pointed out. “You’re needed in an hour, and I assume that you’d want to speak to Thor before the ceremony without any interruptions. I think you should get ready now.”

“Just because you’re right doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“What can I say?” she asked with a laugh. “When else will I see you wearing that ridiculous helmet of yours?”

Loki pouted. “I’ll have you know, that’s the one part of this that I won’t mind wearing.”

“And I think you should get to it now if you intend to be there on time.”

“Fair point.” He fidgeted with the cloth, still not moving.

“What’s the matter? You seem more nervous than I suspect Thor is right now.”

Loki chuckled. “Are you trying to insinuate that my brother feels nervous?”

Sigyn playfully swatted his arm. “You know that he does, even if he won’t say it. Now tell me what’s on your mind.”

Loki was silent for a minute. “Do you think he’s ready?”

 Sigyn shrugged. “I suppose he must be, if the All-Father decided to pass on the crown today.”

“I hope you’re right.

...

The elder prince of Asgard was certainly a remarkable figure. He strode past an attendant, smoothly plucking a goblet of wine from the proffered tray and downing it in one. His cape billowed behind him as he hurled the goblet and its contents in the fire. The alcohol caused the flames to blaze higher for a moment, casting shadows across his face.

“Another!” he called out, not breaking stride as he continued down the length of the hall. He saw a shadow behind him, instantly recognisable by the large curved horns atop the helmet. He nodded in greeting as Loki, clad in armour of green and gold, stood next to him.

“Nervous, brother?” Loki asked.

Thor laughed. “Have you ever known me to be nervous?”

“Well, there was the time in Niflheim,” Loki teased.

Thor snorted. “That wasn’t nerves, brother. It was the rage of battle. How else could I have fought my way through a hundred warriors and pulled us out alive?”

Loki frowned. The incident played out quite differently in his memory. “As I recall, I was the one who veiled us in smoke to ease our escape.”

Thor shrugged. “Some do battle, others just do tricks.”

Loki shot him a look that was part exasperation and part fondness.

The attendant, who had come to offer Thor another goblet of drink, stopped awkwardly when he saw Loki – he had forgotten to bring a second goblet. Loki noticed the pause and, without missing a beat, swiped it from Thor’s hand. Before Thor could try to take it back, he’d finished the drink and handed the goblet back to the attendant, with a confident smile.

The attendant smiled back hesitantly, and Loki nodded in dismissal. While most of the staff were older than the two brothers, even the newest additions were aware of their antics. Besides, this had the dual effect of annoying Thor and reducing the attendant’s anxiety at the inconsequential folly.

“Now that was just a waste of good wine,” Thor said sadly.

“You’ll get over it,” Loki said breezily.

Thor shook his head and donned his winged helmet. Loki grinned, amused as always when it made its appearance. “Nice feathers.”

“You really don’t want to start this again, do you, _cow_?”

“I was being sincere!”

“You are _incapable_ of sincerity,” Thor said with a laugh.

“Am I?” Loki asked, instantly sobering up and looking his brother in the eye.

“I’ve looked forward to this day as much as you have. You’re my brother, and my friend. I admit, sometimes I’m envious, but never doubt that I love you.”

Thor was silent, touched by his brother’s words. “Thank you,” he said, clapping a hand on Loki’s shoulder. After a heartfelt moment, Loki grinned mischievously and said, “Now give us a kiss.”

Thor burst out laughing and shoved his brother lightly. “Stop.”

The two of them fell silent, staring at the fire. Thor squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. “How do I look?” he asked.

Loki smiled. “Like a king,” he said.

The two of them winced as they heard the blast of horns. “It’s time,” Loki said.

Thor nodded. “You go ahead.”

Loki frowned at him, concerned. Thor shook his head. “I’ll catch up with you,” he said with a meaningful look.

Loki rolled his eyes and went alone into the throne room without his brother. It had been a long time since they’d had a reason to celebrate as extravagantly as now. The last time they’d celebrated anything that wasn’t a battle, he’d been wedded to Sigyn. Most of Asgard’s citizens said that their long lives meant that the days would all blur into indistinction. But Loki could remember every moment as vividly as though it had happened yesterday.

His mother met him at the gate with a smile. He extended his hand formally and she took it, entering at his side. His heart skipped a beat when he saw his wife, who looked resplendent in deep red and gold. She met his gaze and beamed at him. Frigga laughed, having seen the whole non-verbal exchange, and let go of her son’s hand as she took her place on the steps just below the throne.

Loki smiled at her and crossed over to stand next to his wife. She took his hand immediately. “You look wonderful,” he said.

“What, only now?” she asked, feigning dismay.

Loki chuckled. “You’re always beautiful,” he said, “But today you’re heavenly.”

Sigyn blushed. “And you look as dashing as always,” she said. “I wasn’t too sure about the armour, but the cape and helmet set it off.”

“I’m glad you like it,” he said, squeezing her hand lightly. “I certainly don’t.”

Volstagg elbowed him in the gut, making him wince. “What?” he asked.

Volstagg tilted his head slightly in the direction of the throne, or rather, Odin. The All-Father was frowning disapprovingly. He caught Loki’s gaze and raised his eyebrows in question. Loki shrugged, and Odin’s expression soured further.

“Where is he?” Volstagg muttered, having missed the exchange.

“He said he’d be along,” Loki replied evasively. Sif groaned softly, catching his meaning. She exchanged an exasperated glance with him. “He wouldn’t. Not at his own coronation!”

Loki chuckled. “Oh, Sif. You know how he is.”

“What?” Volstagg asked.

“He wants to make an entrance,” Sif explained. She didn’t look too pleased.

“Well, if he doesn’t show up soon, he shouldn’t bother. Odin looks like he’s ready to feed him to his ravens,” Fandral piped up.

Hogun watched the crowd silently. He alone of the Warriors Three refrained from speaking too often. Or smiling. Or laughing. This had led to the title, ‘Hogun the Grim’. The others were Fandral, who fancied himself a dashing, roguish ladies’ man; Volstagg, whose sole ambition was to consume every delicacy the universe had to offer; and the Lady Sif, who had mastered the use of every weapon Asgard could produce when she was barely twenty.

“I wouldn’t worry,” Loki said. “Father will forgive him – he always does.”

Just then, a roar sounded from the back of the hall. “And there he is,” Sigyn said drily. Loki sighed. “Someday, he’ll understand that entrances aren’t everything.”

They watched as Thor strutted up the aisle, spinning his hammer and holding it up with a smug smile on his face as the audience erupted in cheers. He winked at Sif, who rolled her eyes, muttering, “Oh, please.”

Loki glanced upwards at his father. Odin did not appear to be pleased by this showy display. He shifted uneasily. Thor finally reached the front and knelt before the throne. Frigga glared admonishingly at him. Thor responded by cheerfully winking at her. She shook her head, unable to conceal a smile.

The hall fell silent as Odin struck the ground with his staff, Gungnir. The deafening sound rang through the throne room for a moment before the old king spoke up. “Gungnir,” he said. “Its aim is true, its power strong. With it, I have defended Asgard and the lives of innocents across the Nine Realms since the time of the Great Beginning.”

 

The Great Beginning, Sigyn mused bitterly. Her parents had told her stories of the battles that had raged across the Nine Realms. She’d been born just about then, when the conflict had peaked. She thought about her early childhood, when she’d trained in the constant fear that the war would one day reach their home.

The Great Beginning marked the start of a new era of peace. A lot of what had happened on Asgard to foster this Golden Age, as some people called it, were simply rumours that had found their way to her during diplomatic meetings. On a brighter note, she remembered that it was on one of those meetings that she had first met Loki.

Loki squeezed her hand gently in query, having noticed her stiffen. She smiled up at her husband. Loki signalled that Odin was nearly done with his speech and she nodded sheepishly.

“Its power has no equal – as a weapon to destroy, or as a tool to build.”

“What, Gungnir?” Sigyn muttered.

“He’s talking about Mjolnir,” Loki whispered in reply.

“’Tis a fit companion for a King. Today, I entrust you with the greatest honour in all the Nine Realms. The sacred throne of Asgard. I have sacrificed much to achieve peace.”

Odin paused for a moment. The temperature seemed to have dropped suddenly. No one seemed to feel it. Sigyn frowned. The hall was filled with people. Why was it so cold all of a sudden?

“Responsibility, duty, honour,” Odin continued, “These are not merely virtues to which we must aspire. They are essential to every soldier and every King.”

The crowd too had noticed the change, and so had Fandral and Sif. They exchanged dark looks. Fandral pulled his cloak closer around him.

“Thor Odinson, do you swear to guard the Nine Realms?”

“I swear.”

With great effort, Sigyn pulled her attention back to the ongoing ceremony. She tried to suppress her shivers with only limited success. Loki glanced worriedly at her. He pulled her to him, and she relaxed momentarily, leaning into his warmth. She scanned the room carefully, even as it grew colder, looking for a source of the change.

“Do you swear to preserve the peace?”

“I swear.”

“Do you swear to cast aside all selfish ambition and pledge yourself only to the good of all the realms?”

Sigyn wrapped her hands around herself to keep warm. Loki glanced up at the crowd and noticed that they were doing much the same. As were his friends, and his mother. He heard a soft crackle and glanced up at the giant banners that decorated the hall. His eyes widened and he barely stopped himself from gasping out loud at the sight of a thin layer of frost covering the banners. At Sigyn's sharp intake of breath, he knew that she too had seen it.

 “Then on this day, I, Odin All-Father, proclaim you…” Odin’s voice trailed off as he too caught sight of the strange phenomenon. “Frost Giants,” he muttered.

“I have to go,” Loki said to Sigyn, while exchanging a look with Thor He pulled off the cape and wrapped it around her shoulders.

“I understand. Be careful.”

“Of course,” he said, before embracing his wife. He tore down the hall, catching up to his brother and sprinting down the corridors to the Vaults. It was the most obvious location he could think of. The Vaults held some of the greatest treasures of the Nine Realms.

It seemed, the Frost Giants were attempting to reclaim one of theirs.


	2. To Jotunheim

The doors to the Vaults flew open as the two brothers threw themselves against them. They stumbled for a moment before stopping and stared in shock. Some of the walls were half covered in ice. The floor was strewn with shards of the same ice. Loki exchanged a look with Thor and advanced carefully. He summoned his daggers to him, turning so that he and Thor were facing opposite directions (Thor often forgot to check behind himself for danger).

Thor shivered suddenly, feeling the after-effects of the cold. He glanced at the ground below the Casket of Ancient Winters and stopped. Loki, who hadn’t noticed, walked into him. “What’s the matter?” he asked, glancing over his brother’s shoulder. He sucked in a breath when he saw what had made his brother stop in his tracks.

Two scorch marks and piles of dust remained where two Frost Giants had stood. Loki realised instantly that his father’s secondary defences had worked. The Destroyer Armour took a step back into its holding cell with a resounding thud.

When they heard footsteps behind them, they turned to face their father.

Odin swept a glance over the scene. He relaxed slightly when he saw the piles of ash on the floor and the frost receding from the walls.

“The _jotuns_ must pay for what they’ve done,” Thor growled.

Loki stepped out of the way as he sensed the storm building in his brother’s words. He caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye, and moved towards it. He stopped when he saw what it was. Or, what _they_ were. Two bodies were lying prone on the ground.

Two guards, who had been killed by the Frost Giants. Loki crouched next to them, inspecting their wounds. Their skin was blackened slightly around them. Loki inferred that they were stab wounds, but not from ordinary weapons. Thor noticed the guards, and his expression darkened.

“They have paid,” Odin said calmly. “With their lives. The Destroyer did its job, and the Casket is safe. All is well.”

“ _All is well_? They broke into the weapons vault! If the Frost Giants had stolen even one of these relics-”

“But they didn’t.”

“I want to know why they-”

“The Casket of Ancient Winters belonged to the _jotuns_ ,” Loki interrupted softly. “They believe it’s their birthright.”

Thor tossed an incredulous look at his brother. “And if you hadn’t taken it from them,” he said, turning back to Odin, “they would have laid waste to the Nine Realms!”

“I have a truce with Laufey, the _jotun_ king.”

“He just broke your truce! We must act now.”

Odin met his son’s gaze calmly. “What course of action would you take?”

“March into Jotunheim as you once did, teach them a lesson – break their spirits so that they would never dare to try to cross our borders again.”

“You’re thinking only as a warrior,” Odin said.

“This was an act of war!”

“It was an act of but a few, doomed to fail.”

“Look how far they got!”

“We will find the breach in our defences. It will be found, and it will be sealed.” He turned to Loki. “Can I trust you and Sigyn to get to it?”

“Of course,” Loki said immediately.

“As King of Asgard, I would-”

“But you’re not King!” Odin interrupted loudly. “Not yet,” he added, forcing calmness into his tone.

Thor stormed out of the Vaults, slamming the doors behind him.

...

Sigyn met Loki outside the banquet hall. “Well?”

“A couple of _jotuns_ managed to find their way in,” Loki said. “Odin wants us to find out where they entered. To see what sort of enchantments they used.”

Sigyn nodded. “I think you should go talk to Thor,” she said, gesturing towards the hall, where he had obviously gone.

“Norns,” Loki sighed. “He’ll have to pull himself together. If he’s still this reckless _after_ his coronation-”

“You’ll have to teach him not to be,” Sigyn finished. “It will be hard, but I believe you can do it better than the rest of us can. You’re meant to be his advisor anyway.”

“You know how he is. He barely listens to Mother and Father, let alone me.”

Sigyn gazed at him thoughtfully. “You’d be surprised,” she said. Loki idly noticed that she was still wearing the dress from the ceremony. “You should wear red more often,” he said. “It suits you.” She smiled. Her hair, which had been in elaborate braids, was now tumbling past her shoulders, like a sheet of fire.

Loki dropped the illusion of his ceremonial wear. Sigyn raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“I didn’t like it,” he said.

“No, I understood that. I’m talking about how you’re still wearing the helmet.”

He pulled it off and smiled as he set it aside. She hugged him tightly.  “We all have our tastes,” he said, winking at her cheekily.

Sigyn giggled. “I love you,” she said.

He smiled. “And I love you.”

The two of them flinched as they heard a roar and a crash. “Not again,” Loki muttered, turning towards the hall. “If he’s going to take out his anger on the banquet tables I’ll have them all nailed to the floor and reinforced with magic.”

He looked back to see her laughing merrily as she left. Brightening, he directed his attention to Thor, sitting down next to him silently. Waiting for the god of thunder to make the first move.

“It is unwise to be in my company right now, brother,” Thor grumbled.

“Who said I was wise?”

Thor shook his head and sighed. He gestured at the empty hall and exclaimed, “This was to be my day of triumph!”

“It’ll come,” Loki said gently, resting a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “In time.”

The two of them were silent for a few moments before Loki added, “If it’s any consolation, I think you’re right about the Frost Giants.” He carefully chose his next words. “If they could penetrate our defences once, who’s to say that they won’t try again, next time with an army?”

Thor opened his mouth to say something, but Loki stopped him with a raised hand. “ _But_ , I also agree with Father. You cannot on any accounts sort this out with a fight. This incident must be dealt with diplomacy, not by smashing the _jotuns_ repeatedly with a hammer.”

Thor nodded absently and gazed at a spot on the wall with a speculative gleam in his eye. Loki noticed the look just as his friends entered the hall. “No,” he said immediately, as Thor began to rise. “No, no, no, no, stop right there, I know that look!”

“You don’t even know what I’m about to say!”

“I do know _you_ , and I know that whatever it is, it’s going to be ridiculous or foolhardy or, more likely, both.”

“It’s the only way to ensure the safety of our borders!”

For a moment, Loki wondered what Thor was talking about. Then it hit him hard, like he’d taken a blow from Mjolnir. “No,” he repeated. “Thor, it’s madness.”

“Madness?” Volstagg asked. “What sort of madness?”

“Nothing!” Loki exclaimed, prepared to make up possibly the worst lie he had ever come up with. “Thor was making a jest,” he added, cringing inwardly.

“The safety of our realm is no jest,” Thor said seriously, ignoring Loki’s glare. “My friends, we’re going to Jotunheim.”

...

As their group rode to the Observatory, Loki wondered where he’d gone wrong. They slowed their horses into a trot when they neared the entrance. Loki dismounted smoothly and said, “Keep your weapons sheathed and your mouths closed. This is going to take subtlety and sincerity, not brute strength. Leave this to me.”

He strode confidently towards the gatekeeper of the Bifrost. “Good Heimdall,” he began, hoping to stall them for long enough-

“You’re not dressed warmly enough,” Heimdall interrupted flatly.

Loki’s hopes of delaying them flew out into the Ginnungagap. “I beg your pardon?” he asked dully, dropping all pretence.

“The freezing cold of Jotunheim will kill all Aesir in time, including you, Thor.” Off Loki’s look, he continued, “Did you think you could deceive me? I, who watch all, I, who can sense the flapping of a butterfly’s wings a thousand worlds away?”

Fandral looked impressed.

“Lord Heimdall,” Loki began again, before he was interrupted once more, this time by his brother.

“Enough,” Thor ordered. Loki fell silent, displeased. “Heimdall, may we pass?”

Heimdall looked gravely at him. “For over a thousand years I have guarded Asgard and kept it safe from those who would do it harm. In all that time, never has an enemy slipped by my watch – until this day. I wish to know how that happened.”

“Then tell no one where we’ve gone until we’ve returned.”

Thor and the others swept past Heimdall. As Volstagg passed Loki, he jostled him slightly. “What happened? Silver tongue turned to lead?” he teased.

“Get me off this bridge before it cracks under your girth,” Loki retorted, rolling his eyes.

Fandral laughed and pulled Volstagg inside.

Heimdall glanced at his old student. “I’m afraid your plan wouldn’t have worked either way,” he said.

Loki shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now, and, besides, I can try to delay them on their way. It’s not like any of us actually knows how to navigate Jotunheim.”

“I have a feeling that this won’t end well,” Heimdall admitted.

Loki’s expression turned unusually grave. “I thought as much, but we must keep our hopes up.”

Heimdall nodded and moved aside to let him in. Heimdall followed him and readied the bridge for their departure. “Be warned,” he said, “I will honour my sworn oath to protect this realm as its Gatekeeper. If your return threatens the safety of Asgard, the Bifrost will remain closed to you. You’ll be left to die in the cold wastes of Jotunheim.”

“I have no plans to die today,” Thor said.

Heimdall acknowledged this with a nod. “None do,” he said. He inserted his sword into the central panel. The Observatory spun around them, and a bolt of energy shot out through the mouth of the cannon. “All is ready,” he announced. “You may pass.”

“Couldn’t you just leave the bridge open for us?”

“To keep the bridge open would unleash the full power of the Bifrost and destroy Jotunheim with you upon it.”

“Ah,” Volstagg said, his voice an octave higher than usual. “Never mind, then.”

Loki stepped forward with the others. He remembered suddenly that the first time he’d traveled by the Bifrost, it had been for a diplomatic meeting. It was where he had first met Sigyn.

A bolt of energy shot out and engulfed them in light. It was a curious sensation, almost like becoming one with the Bifrost. He felt his corporeal form dissolve into pure energy and shoot through into the bridge. A few seconds later, he felt himself reform again. They had landed.

...

Thor, Sif and Fandral landed on their feet, while Hogun and Loki landed in a crouch. Volstagg stumbled, losing his balance. Thor caught him by the belt, heaving him upright as Volstagg nearly fell over the precipice of a cliff.

Everyone sighed in relief as the proud warrior straightened.

They looked about them, taking note of their surroundings for the first time. The barren lands were sheer cliffs of ice that occasionally broke away from even larger cliffs. Snow fell around them, coating them in a light, powdery dust.

“We shouldn’t be here,” Hogun said.

“Too late now,” Thor said.

“It’s not,” Fandral countered. ‘We could turn right around, hop back to Asgard, and share a mug by the fire. Could be nice,” he finished with a shiver.

Loki felt a chill in his spine that had nothing to do with the cold. He’d never actually felt cold, and had often wondered why. Then he’d realised that Thor also seemed to be impervious to it – except that one time in Niflheim, when he too had started shivering from the low temperatures. Loki had been the only member of their group who had been unaffected. “Perhaps we should wait,” he said.

“For what?” Thor asked.

“To survey the enemy,” he said in an odd voice. Thor frowned at his brother, concerned. “To gauge their strengths and weaknesses from a distance.”

“I like that,” Volstagg said, and Fandral nodded behind him, pulling his furs closer around him. Fandral had been the only one to wear his fur-lined cloak. Neither of them noticed the change in Loki’s voice. “Gauging, surveying. Especially the part about distance.”

Thor was still looking hard at his brother. “It’s time to act.” He headed off in one direction.

 “You’re going the wrong way!” Loki blurted out.

Thor turned and nearly slipped on a patch of ice. Loki darted forward and caught him. “Thanks,” Thor grunted. “How can you tell?”

“I…” his voice trailed off uncertainly. “Just a feeling, I think. Probably my magic.” It made sense, Loki had used his magic to track down people in the past.

“Well, then, lead the way.”

The group trudged forward, with Loki occasionally stopping and concentrating before calling out directions. The others had started to shiver uncontrollably. Eventually, however, the cold started to catch up to Thor as well. “It feels good, doesn’t it?” he asked his friends, while rubbing his palms together. “To be together again, adventuring on another world?”

“Adventuring?” Fandral echoed through chattering teeth. “Is that what we’re doing?”

“What would you call it?” Thor asked.

“Freezing,” Fandral replied promptly.

“Starving,” Volstagg added.

“Whining,” Sif interjected, glaring at the others.

“How about a song to lift our spirits?” Thor suggested. Everyone groaned.

“No, not that!” Hogun exclaimed.

“Please don’t make us sing again,” Sif said, shuddering as she remembered what had happened last time.

“If I have to listen to Volstagg’s singing voice one more time, I’ll fall on my own sword!” Fandral piped up.

Thor and Sif exchanged a grin. “Well, now I’m on board,” she said.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Loki said quietly, “But we’re here.”

Everyone fell silent at that, looking about themselves cautiously.

“Where are they?” Sif asked, voicing everyone’s thoughts.

“Hiding, as cowards always do.” Thor strode forward confidently. Loki hesitated for a moment before following reluctantly. The chill in his spine had only intensified as they had neared the ruins of what had once (presumably) been a city.

He wondered whether this was the chill everyone felt or something else entirely. He couldn’t tell.

As they moved inside, they heard the crackling of ice and glanced at the ruined walls. Frost Giant sentries had risen from their posts, creating weapons of ice. One of them spoke up.

“What is your business here, Asgardian?”

“I speak only to your King, not to his foot soldiers.”

“Then speak,” said another voice. They turned to face a much larger giant, who was, from the way it looked, seated, veiled in shadows, tall and proud.

“I am Laufey, King of this realm,” the _jotun_ said.

“And I am-”

“We know who you are, Odinson. Why have you brought the stench of your blood into my world?”

“I demand answers,” Thor said. Loki stepped forward and placed a hand on Thor’s shoulder, silencing him.

“You _demand_?”

“Your Majesty,” Loki said, “what my brother meant to ask, with no disrespect, was how your people found a way into our realm.”

“And why must I tell you this?”

“No reasons that I give will be enough to influence your decision,” Loki admitted. “We merely ask for the safety of our people, as anyone loyal to their world aspires to do.”

Laufey stood, sizing the princes up. “Very well,” he said. “There are ways into other realms apart from your beloved Bifrost Bridge.”

This was nothing new to Loki, who had found most of the paths off Asgard when he was barely a hundred.

Thor laughed. “Did you really think that we could not see through your lies?”

“Lies? This is but the truth. I care not to tell you how I learnt of these ways into Asgard. All I will say is that your realm is not as impenetrable as your father thinks it is.”

“Do not dishonour my father’s name with your lies!” Thor roared. Loki closed his eyes for a moment, considering using his magic to silence Thor.

“Your father is a murderer and a thief. He stole what was ours, and left our world in ruins. We have the right to reclaim the Casket-”

“Not when you’d use it to make war against other realms.”

Laufey laughed. It was a deep sound, cold and mocking. “And why have you come here? To make peace? I see you for what you are, Thor Odinson. Nothing but a boy, trying to prove himself a man.”

Thor stepped forward. “Well, this ‘boy’ has grown tired of your mockery.”

Loki pulled him back harshly. “Thor, stop and think,” he hissed angrily. “Look around you. We’re clearly outnumbered.”

Thor was about to reply, when Laufey rumbled, “You should listen to his counsel. You know not what your actions will unleash.” The _jotun_ King stepped out from the shadows. His eyes were blood-red. “I do. Go now, while I still allow it.”

Loki tightened his grip on Thor and said, forcing a civil tone, “We will accept your most gracious offer.”

After a moment, Thor relaxed and turned to leave. Loki let go of him and moved ahead, when a Frost Giant muttered, “Run back home, little princess.”

“Damn,” Loki muttered, just as Thor swung his hammer and knocked the _jotun_ across the clearing.

The crown prince of Asgard grinned manically. “Who’s next?”

 


	3. Frost Giant Battle

Ice crackled and formed an armour-like structure on the Frost Giants’ bodies, and the Asgardians exchanged wary looks. Sif twirled her double-bladed staff in her hands expertly. Volstagg, Hogun and Fandral readied their own weapons – a battle-axe, a mace and a fencing sword. Loki summoned his daggers and waited for the _jotuns_ to charge.

Thor, meanwhile, had broken away from the group and was single handedly taking down Frost Giants, one after the other. The group charged, and individually started to pick out battles. Hogun was backed up against a wall by one of the Frost Giants, but the grim warrior swung his mace, lodging it in the wall above him. He hoisted himself up as the _jotun_ sliced at him with a blade of ice, dodging the blow and leaping over his opponent.

With a few more strikes of the mace, two Frost Giants lay in a heap at his feet.

Sif was methodically hacking down the _jotuns_ , slicing, stabbing and blocking blows with her staff. She seemed to be making the most progress, after Thor.

Loki, who had taken down a few Frost Giants, backed away from yet another but found himself against the edge of a large cliff. Sensing his vulnerability, the _jotun_ charged straight at him, only to pass through him completely. He stopped, confused, while Loki – the _real_ Loki – shoved him into the crevasse.

He dispelled the illusion with a flick of his hand and shook his head. “Pathetic,” he said.

He spun around and let loose two of his daggers, felling two more _jotuns_ who had run at him. He glanced up where Laufey stood. The King nodded at one of his bigger warriors – a massive _jotun_ at least nine feet tall – and the warrior slammed his fist into the ice beneath his feet. Hogun was thrown back as pillars of ice formed around the blow.

“At least make it a challenge for me,” Thor taunted from elsewhere on the battlefield. The new warrior roared, and Loki could faintly make out Thor’s manic grin. “Well, that’s more like it,” Thor grunted, hurling Mjolnir with all his might across the battlefield.

The hammer hit the _jotun_ challenger square in the jaw. Thor raised his hand in summons, and Mjolnir flew back into his grasp.

Volstagg, meanwhile, was wrestling another Frost Giant to the ground. He managed to get a few hits in. “You might want to put some ice on that!” he crowed.

Another _jotun_ – they seemed to all have joined the fray, Loki felt – grabbed Volstagg, flinging him aside and attempting to crush him. Volstagg tried to fight back, but the _jotun_ caught hold of his wrist. The armour broke apart and fell away, leaving his forearm bare. The skin blackened under the _jotun’s_ grip. Volstagg yelled in pain and head-butted his opponent.

He swung his battle-axe at the _jotuns_ , killing them instantly, and shouted to his friends, “Don’t let them touch you!”

Loki flung his dagger at a _jotun_ , not missing his mark. He registered his friend’s warning as he fought his way to them. He barely had time to react, however, as a Frost Giant pushed him back into the ground. He smoothly got back to his feet, plunging his dagger into the _jotun’s_ chest. The giant warrior fell to his knees and grabbed Loki’s wrist.

Time seemed to slow as his armour broke apart and fell to the ground. He waited for the blackness that would accompany the necrotizing of one’s flesh, but it didn’t come. Instead, his skin turned bluish-grey, matching that of the _jotun’s_ perfectly. He watched, horrified, as the colour spread painlessly up his arm. His mind was racing, the double-edged sword that his thoughts were slowly eliminated all impossible theories until only one remained.

It made sense, but at the same time, it didn’t.

He snapped out of his daze as he heard Fandral yell from across the battlefield. He stabbed the _jotun_ viciously, causing him to loosen his hold on his arm. He wrenched his wrist out of the Frost Giant’s grip, spun on his heel, and sprinted in the direction of his injured friend, smoothly flinging a dagger at another Frost Giant.

He skidded to a stop, dropping to his knees next to Fandral, who was bleeding from a wound in his chest. Loki inspected it grimly. He glanced upwards, spotting a bloodied icicle. _Impaled,_ he realised. _It must have gone all the way through._

He yanked off his cape, ripping it into strips to wrap around the wound. He left two larger patches of fabric as a padding to soak up the blood. “Hold him up,” he ordered, without looking at the others. Fandral groaned, half-conscious from blood loss, and Loki quickly pressed the fabric to the wound. Blood soaked through immediately, and he looked up at the others. “Help me bind the wound,” he said, indicating the long strip of cloth next to him.

 Hogun snatched it up immediately and bandaged it tightly. Loki tied off the final knot. His hands were covered in his friend’s blood. He ignored this and instructed them to carry Fandral back to the landing site. “He won’t last long without proper treatment, but I’ve done the best I can. I’ll get Thor and join you as soon as I can.”

The others nodded. Volstagg swung Fandral up onto his shoulder. The injured warrior groaned. “Stay with us, old friend,” Loki said. “Make sure he stays awake,” he told Hogun. Hogun nodded and urged them to leave.

Loki turned to his brother. “Thor!” he yelled. “We must go!”

“Then go!” Thor grunted in reply and slammed Mjolnir onto the ground.

“Oh, you can’t be serious,” Loki muttered.

“I – can – stop them!”

“Thor!” Sif called.

“Run!” Volstagg yelled, already making his way to where they had landed.

Loki turned to run reluctantly. He barely caught up to his friends when lightning forked across the battlefield. Loki swore at great length, realising that Thor was nowhere near about to join them.

“What’s Thor done now?” Volstagg called back. The small band of warriors had somehow reached an unspoken agreement about the relation between how serious a situation was and how fluently Loki cursed during said situation and using it as a scale to gauge how bad it really was.

“Likely killed us all!” Loki shouted in reply. “Keep going!”

Ice cracked around a giant beast, freeing it from some sort of cocoon. They ran faster, but a swirling fog obstructed vision. Without breaking stride, Loki raised his hands, dispelling the mists and clearing the way. They skidded to a halt at the base of the cliff, the large beast right at their heels.

“Heimdall, open the bridge!”

No answer.

Suddenly, a giant clawed paw appeared on the cliff-face in front of them, causing them to step back. The beast hefted itself into full view, roaring. Before they could do anything, however, a bright red projectile flew into its maw, tearing its way out through the back.

Loki realised that it was Thor.

As Thor landed, two things happened. One, an army of _jotuns_ that had amassed while they had been occupied with the beast charged at them; and the Bifrost broke through the cloudy surface, bringing a majestic figure into their midst: Odin, atop his eight-legged steed. The army stuttered to a halt, forming a semicircular oerimeter around them.

For a distracted moment, Loki wondered why Odin had seen fit to bring Sleipnir onto the scene. Thor interrupted his thoughts by exclaiming, “Father! We’ll finish them together!”

“Silence,” Odin hissed.

Laufey rose to Odin’s height by summoning a platform of ice. “All-Father,” he greeted coldly. “You look weary.”

“Laufey, end this now.”

“Your boy sought this out.”

“You’re right,” Odin said, casting a look at the group of warriors. “These are the actions of a boy. Treat them as such. You and I can end this now, before there’s further bloodshed.”

“We are well beyond diplomacy now, All-Father, though your whelp tried his best.”

Odin glanced at Loki, who was inspecting Fandral’s wound. He turned back to Laufey. “He’ll get what he came for,” the _jotun_ King continued, referring to Thor. “War, and death. Bloodshed is inevitable now, for it has already been shed.”

“So be it,” Odin said, and called the Bifrost to him once more.

...

When everyone landed inside the observatory, Volstagg gently set Fandral down. Loki inspected the bandage. His expression was grim when he looked up at his friends. “He’s still losing blood. He needs medical attention.” Volstagg and Hogun supported Fandral between them. Loki turned to Odin and Thor, who had started to argue.

“Why did you bring us back?”

“Do you realise what you have done? What you’ve started?”

“I was protecting my home.”

“You cannot even protect your friends! How can you hope to protect the kingdom?” Odin turned to Loki, and while his tone as still sharp, it was with urgency and not anger. “Go with them to the healing room. I’ll talk to you after you’re done. Eir is busy in the lower town, they’ll need your help if they want to save his life.”

Loki hesitated as his friends shuffled out of the Bifrost. “ _Now,_ ” Odin ordered. Loki exchanged a worried look with Thor and bowed, backing out of the room. He caught up to his friends quickly. “We should take him to Haldis,” he said. “Eir is busy consulting the lower town. She won’t be back for a few days.”

...

Haldis started when the beaten-up group of warriors entered the healing room. “Prince-”

“I need your help.” Loki set Fandral on one of the long tables and turned to wipe his bloodied hands on an old rag. “Fandral was impaled by an icicle.”

Haldis paled. “You went to Jotunheim?”

“Now’s really not the time to discuss this,” Loki interrupted, tossing the piece of cloth into the dispenser. It caught fire immediately and the ashes were sucked into a bin.

Haldis nodded. “Of course.”

Loki began to untie the bandage. “It ran all the way through.”

“A simple tissue generation should do it.”

“He’s lost a lot of blood. We need to be careful. _Jotun_ ice is different from normal ice, so we’ll have to check for infection.”

“We’ll have to block the exit wound,” Haldis said after inspecting Fandral for a minute. “Then we can replicate the blood cells and heal his front as well. Light the forge, Loki, I’ll examine him now. It’ll take a few minutes, so I think you should go and check on your other friends.”

Loki had been working with the healers for long enough that he had managed to convince them to drop his title when working. The healers would only call him by his title otherwise, however much he tried to break the habit. Eventually, he’d simply gotten used to it.

He relaxed, letting his shoulders sag. Haldis was the best healer in Asgard, after Eir. He glanced at his friends. “The process won’t take more than an hour. You should clean up, get some rest maybe. I’ll see to your injuries after,” he added to Volstagg.

“It can wait,” Volstagg said. “You should rest too, after you’re finished.”

“We’ll see.”

For another hour, the two healers worked in silence, only occasionally asking each other to pass them an instrument, or something else that they needed.

Once Fandral was nearly healed, Haldis looked up at Loki. “You should get some rest, tell the others that he’s fine.”

Loki nodded. “Thank you,” he said.

“It is my duty, Prince.”

“I know,” Loki said, suddenly tired. “I will return tomorrow to check on how he’s doing,” he added, gesturing at Fandral.

“Of course.”

Loki left the room to the adjoining chamber. The others looked up at him expectantly. “Fandral will be all right. He’s resting now. I’ll give him a once over tomorrow to see if he’s still fine and discharge him then.”

They all sighed, relieved. Sif clapped Loki on the shoulder appreciatively as he passed her to inspect Volstagg’s wound. He examined the warrior’s blackened flesh carefully, letting his fingers hover over it without touching the skin. “Does it still hurt?”

“Not all the time.”

Loki nodded. He pulled out a salve and rubbed it on the dead cells. “It has regenerative properties,” he explained. “Somewhat like what we did to heal Fandral, but this reverses the damage done to one’s cells instead of creating new ones. And, it fells much more pleasant than re-growing a section of your chest.”

Volstagg sighed in relief as the salve began to take effect. “That’s much better,” he said.

Loki smiled. He then remembered something and glanced up at his friends. “Where’s Thor?”

The others exchanged distraught looks. “What?” he asked, suddenly anxious.

“Loki,” Sif said softly, “Thor has been banished to Midgard.”

...

Loki pushed open the door to his chambers, suddenly feeling the weight of everything that had happened that day. He looked up to see his wife, who was hovering nervously by the fireplace, and smiled. “Hello,” he said.

Sigyn crossed the length of the chamber in three strides and embraced him tightly. “They said you were in the healing room,” she said, pulling away just enough to look directly at him. “Why were you in the healing room? Are you all right?”

“What?” Loki blinked. His mind was reeling. “I’m all right,” he assured her. “But Fandral… well, he was impaled by an icicle. He’s fine now,” he added. “Haldis took care of it.”

Sigyn relaxed. She gazed at his troubled expression thoughtfully. “What else happened?”

The story tumbled out in a haphazard sort of manner as Loki tried to process everything that had happened only a few hours ago, while ignoring his exhaustion. He told her of Laufey’s admission of someone aiding them, the combat, and what had happened when the Frost Giant had touched him, and the theory that came from it.

Sigyn frowned. “Are you sure?”

“There’s no other explanation I can think of now,” he said. “Aside from me being very, very lucky with my magic, but that’s incredibly unlikely.”

“Loki, I wish I had another theory, but I think you’re right. But we can look into it tomorrow,” Sigyn said firmly. “You need to rest.”

Loki nodded tiredly. Rest sounded nice. “I thought as much,” he said softly, barely knowing what he was talking about.

Sigyn darted forward as he swayed, supporting him before he could fall. “You’re clearly more tired than you look,” she muttered.

“And more than I thought,” Loki muttered, letting his wife guide him to their bed. He sighed. “You’re sure we can look into this tomorrow?”

“Of course,” she assured him. “I’ll tell your father that you’ll speak to him tomorrow.”

Loki didn’t reply, because the moment he had hit the covers, he had fallen fast asleep.

 


	4. Odin Confesses

Loki paused outside his parents’ chambers, realising that they were in the middle of an argument. As their voices faded, he knocked at the door.

“Enter,” Odin called.

Loki pushed the door open and entered the chambers. “Father, you said that you wanted to talk to me? I apologize for not meeting with you yesterday.”

Odin shook his head. “Sigyn told me that you needed a night’s rest, after yesterday’s battle. It is no matter, and you are here now.”

“I gathered yesterday that you wished to discuss something…”

“Ah, yes. I spoke to Heimdall after you left, and he told me that you tried your best to direct a diplomatic conversation with Laufey. I only wished to congratulate you on your efforts. If I’m not mistaken, you also found out about how the _jotuns_ broke into Asgard.”

“Yes, actually, I did,” Loki said. “Laufey said… that there were other ways into Asgard. He implied that the entrance into the Vault was not the only one. Well, that much is true. There are several paths off Asgard, but those are accounted for. Sigyn and I have been keeping track of them over the years, and guards have been posted near the more vulnerable areas until we found a way to make them secure. He seemed to mean something else.”

Odin and Frigga exchanged a look. “Thank you for telling me this,” Odin said. Loki nodded, and Frigga, realising that something was on his mind, asked, “What troubles you still, my son?”

“While battling the _jotuns,_ one of them caught hold of Volstagg’s arm. The contact necrotised his skin, but it wasn’t just killing the cells. It froze them somehow.”

“This can be fixed in the healing room,” Odin said quietly.

“Of course it can, I’ve looked at it already – that’s not what I was talking about. Later, one of the Frost Giants did the same to me, but my skin turned to look like that of the _jotun_. It just became blue.”

“And you wish to know why it happened.”

“Yes.”

Odin was silent for a long time. Frigga leaned forward. “Loki, there’s something you must know.” Her voice was grave, and he found himself suddenly nervous.

“In the aftermath of the battle – the _first_ battle against the Frost Giants,” Odin said softly, “I went into their Temple. This was just after we had taken the Casket of Ancient Winters. I was tired of all the bloodshed and wanted some peace to myself. So I went in, knowing that it would be empty. But it wasn’t. Inside the Temple, I found…”

“You found what?” Loki asked, dreading the answer.

“I found a child. A baby. Small, for a giant’s offspring. Abandoned, left to die.” Odin met Loki’s gaze sadly. “Laufey’s son.”

All the air seemed to be driven out of Loki’s lungs. “Laufey’s son?” he repeated. It didn’t make any sense. He was an Asgardian, had been raised as such. And yet, in some small corner of his mind, it seemed to fit into the story completely. “Why?” he asked, his voice suddenly hoarse. “You were knee-deep in _jotun_ blood, why would you take me?”

Frigga rose and went to stand next to her son, placing a hand on his shoulder soothingly. Loki leaned into her touch, though he looked no less tense.

“You were an innocent child,” Odin said. Frigga looked sharply at Odin. Something in the old King’s voice seemed to give Loki the impression of an incomplete statement, and by the looks of it, Frigga thought so as well.

“You took me for a purpose,” Loki said slowly. “What was it?”

 “I’d like to know your reasons for it as well, if I had not been told before.” Frigga’s eyes were narrowed, and her voice hard. “I told you earlier that it would do no good to withhold this information.”

“I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day,” Odin said, lowering his gaze once more. Frigga glared at him. “Bring about an alliance, a permanent peace, through you.”

Loki made a small sound of disbelief at the back of his throat. “But those plans no longer matter,” Odin said, as if to console him.

“No, of course not,” Loki snapped. “Because what happened yesterday ruined them, didn’t it?” he paused. “So am I no more than a stolen relic, locked up in here till you have use for me?”

Frigga looked taken aback by this outburst. “Loki,” she started to say, but was distracted by something very odd that happened just then.

“Why do you twist my words?” Odin said. His hand was shaking, slightly out of sync as the Odinsleep threatened to take over him. Loki didn’t notice, however. “So why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted to protect you from the truth!”

“What, because I’m the monster parents tell their children about at night?”

“Loki!” Frigga darted forward as the Odinsleep took over the king. She caught him and turned to her son. “Help me get him to the bed,” she said, indicating the large bed in an adjoining chamber.

Loki, now thoroughly unnerved, helped his mother support Odin.

“I…”

“Your father has been putting it off for too long,” she said. She looked at him calmly. “I’ll talk to you later; right now I need you to call Eir. She’s helped me with this before. I know she’s in the lower town, but she’ll return for this.”

Loki nodded and sped towards the healing room. Their discussion could wait a bit longer.

...

“We should never have let him go,” Volstagg said ruefully. The four warriors had gathered in the antechamber of the healing room to check on Fandral, when they’d realised that something else was occupying the healers.

When they’d found out that Odin had fallen into the Odinsleep, they’d offered to stay and keep Loki company while he waited for news. Fandral had been discharged with orders to take it easy for a few days, and the five friends sat in front of the roaring fire.

Sif replied without looking at him. “You know how he is; we couldn’t have stopped him if we’d tried.”

“At least he’s only banished, not dead,” Fandral said. “Which is what we’d all be if the guard hadn’t told Odin where we’d gone.”

“How did the guard even know?” Volstagg asked.

“I told him,” Loki said in a flat voice.

The others exchanged concerned and startled looks. “What?”

“I told him to go to Mother after we’d left. Though he should be flogged for taking so long.”

“Is this why you insisted we waited before moving into the _jotun_ city?” Sif asked shrewdly.

“Yes.”

“ _You_ told the guard?” Volstagg exclaimed, apparently still in shock.

“I saved our lives,” Loki said. His tone was empty, devoid of emotion. “And Thor’s. I had no idea Father would banish him as he did.”

...

“Loki?” Sigyn frowned at her husband, who had entered their chambers with defeat and an odd tenseness in his posture.

“There’s something I need to tell you.” His voice was flat and expressionless as he told her about what he had just learned. She then realised what the tenseness was: _fear._ It wasn’t something she normally would have associated with Loki – it took a lot to scare him. But she knew what he was afraid of now.

He was afraid that she would reject him, after finding that he was really a Frost Giant. That she would shun him, or think him to be some kind of hideous beast like the ones from stories he’d been told as a child, those cautionary tales that the queen had tried so hard to avoid.

“Darling…” Sigyn hugged her husband tightly. Loki stiffened, standing still for a few minutes before slowly loosening his joints and hugging her back, fiercely, _desperately._ “Darling, I’m so sorry you had to find out like this. That something this important was kept from you for so long.”

Though he was holding her tightly, he asked, “You don’t think I’m some sort of… monster, do you?”

“No,” she said immediately. “No! I would never – I _could_ never think of you as such. No matter your true blood, you are what you have always been.”

“But what am I?” Loki pulled away, almost abruptly, before sinking onto the bed. “What am I, Sigyn?”

“You are Loki,” she said firmly. “Prince of Asgard, god of mischief, Silvertongue, sorcerer, advisor to the crown prince, brother of Thor, son of Odin and Frigga… and my husband. I love you, Loki. So does your mother and your father, and your brother. That you are a Frost Giant changes none of that.”

Loki had closed his eyes, but they flew open when she reached the end of her small speech. His eyes shone with unshed tears and he smiled a small, twisted sort of smile. “You always know the right thing to say,” he whispered. Sigyn stepped forward and embraced him. She pressed a small kiss to his hair and stroked it lightly, comfortingly, as he rested his forehead against her shoulder.

His breathing was ragged with emotion, and she waited till he was calmer to continue talking. She reached out with her magic and wrapped her consciousness around his, the way they normally did to comfort each other.

“Why didn’t he tell you?” she asked, once his breaths became even. He tugged her down gently so that they were both facing each other on the bed.

Loki shrugged. “I intend to ask Mother, once she comes back,” he said.

“You do that,” Sigyn said with a smile. “You also need to keep busy.” She suddenly remembered something he had said. “How fares your father? You said that he had fallen into the Odinsleep?”

“He had,” Loki replied. “Mother said that they were caught unprepared, so she doesn’t know how long it will last. Or if he’ll wake.”

Sigyn was stricken by the news. “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” she said encouragingly. “He was under Eir’s care, was he not? And Inge’s?”

Loki nodded. Sigyn continued, “Inge has helped your mother before. When the All-Father had last entered the Odinsleep. I wonder why he put it off for so long, but she will help the queen with anything she might need.”

Loki nodded. He closed his eyes for a moment, processing the information slowly. Sigyn waited patiently. She knew that she had to let him go at his own pace, otherwise things would get nowhere. “Love, we should go talk to the others. They will want to know if you have found any leads on the new pathways into Asgard.”

...

“So, did you find anything?”

“Actually, I did,” Sigyn said to Sif. “I also checked the archives, for any other records of such entrances. The closest I found was that the walls between the Nine Realms are weakening.”

“How is such a thing possible?”

“It is the way of the universe,” Sigyn said. “It is also known as the Convergence, but that isn’t the problem right now.”

“Well, then, what is? We’ve always had other pathways in and out of Asgard, those have never been a problem before.”

Loki spoke up. “The Convergence won’t be upon us for a few years at least,” he said. “I’ve asked Heimdall about it quite recently. But its effects can be observed for nearly a decade before the phenomenon. The walls between the worlds wear thin, and we see portals, or gateways of sorts, that allow passage into other worlds. These are different from the other passages.”

“They are not always accessible to us,” Sigyn continued. “We may find a portal one day only to return to it on the next and see that it has closed of its own accord, and the reverse may happen as well. The only problem is that we don’t know how many of them are there.”

The others had caught on. “So we’re vulnerable.”

“Not just to the Frost Giants. Anyone from the Nine Realms could launch an attack on us, and we wouldn’t know until it’s too late.”

...

“I asked him to be honest with you from the beginning,” Frigga told Loki. They were inside Odin’s separate chambers now. The room was bare and dimly lit. The space above and around Odin’s bed was warped, almost like a cocoon of light. Loki could practically feel the amount of protective healing magic it contained. “There should be no secrets in the family.”

“So why did he lie?”

“He kept the truth from you so that you would never feel any different,” she said. She fixed a clear gaze on him. “You are in every way our son, Loki,” she said earnestly. "You must know that, and remember it always.”

Loki nodded, unable to reply. He stared at his father’s immobile form. “It is hard to believe, after speaking of the _jotuns_ in one fashion for a millennium. Now I find that what I say about them could apply to me.”

“Loki, do you remember our lessons concerning prejudices across different races?”

Loki smiled. “Internalised prejudice in a society always backfires,” he said, “despite the efforts of but a few to prevent it. The only way for it to stop is if we convince the majority otherwise.”

Frigga sighed. “I always tried to speak of them in a neutral fashion, but there are those who were unreasonable in their approach. Some families lost people to them.”

“And others,” Loki said delicately, “simply cannot see them as anything but monsters.” Frigga glanced up sharply. “Are you afraid that your brother won’t take well to the news?”

Loki didn’t meet her eyes. “That depends on whether he will see me as his brother.”

“Loki, he loves you.”

“You know how he feels about the Frost Giants! Since we were children, he has harboured some kind of grudge against them. I couldn’t stand it if he would hate me for this,” he finished softly, lowering his gaze. He wouldn’t have admitted this to anyone but his mother and his wife.

“He won’t, Loki.” Frigga realised that there was no convincing Loki like this and looked down at her husband. “You can speak to him. He can see and hear us, even now.” Loki did not look surprised by the change of topic. In fact, he looked grateful for it.

“How long will it last?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “This time is different. We were unprepared.”

“I never get used to seeing him like this. The most powerful being in the Nine Realms lying helpless until his body is restored.”

“But he’s been putting it off for so long now, I fear…” her voice trailed off. Loki took her hand gently, comfortingly, reassuringly. She smiled through tears, wiping them away. “You’re a good son,” she said. “We mustn’t lose hope that your father will return to us. And your brother.”

Loki frowned. “What do you mean? What hope is there for Thor?” he asked, his voice close to breaking. He dearly wanted his brother back, not that he would ever tell Thor, and hoped that the Norns were not so cruel as to have him reject their brotherhood because of this.

“There is a purpose to everything your father does. Thor may yet find a way home.”

Loki nodded and let go of her hand, rising from where he sat next to the bed. Before he could reach the exit, the doors opened of their own accord, letting in a small group of _einherjar_ guards. Loki frowned when they simply stood in front of him. He turned to look at his mother, puzzled.

“Thor is banished. The line of succession falls to you. Until your father awakens, or Thor returns, Asgard is yours.”

_Hopefully not for long,_ Loki thought, accepting Gungnir from one of the guards.

“Make me proud,” Frigga said.

...

“I thought he’d never leave.”

Thor glanced up, shocked at the familiar voice. “Loki?” he asked disbelievingly.

“Hello, brother,” Loki said sadly.

“What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you. There are a few things I must tell you.”

“About Jotunheim? Let me explain to Father! We must destroy them all, Father must see that-” Thor paused, seeing Loki flinch. “What happened?”

“I… I’ll start from the beginning,” Loki said, and told Thor of everything that had happened, leaving nothing out, including what he’d found out about his parentage. He was careful not to meet Thor's eyes as he told him that he was Laufey's son.

Thor looked dismayed. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “My talk of the Frost Giants – no wonder you looked so-”

“What?”

“I’d say frightened, but you would hit me,” Thor said, trying for humour.

Loki blinked. “No, I wouldn’t, at least not in this case. It pains me to admit it, but you’re right.” He searched for the right words. “I was a bit afraid that you would react badly.”

“I’m sorry to have caused you any distress, my brother,” Thor said. He lifted his hand, only to drop it again. Loki had to be approached carefully when he was upset, and Thor had to be even more cautious since he was mortal. If his brother stabbed him now, he might actually end up with a worse wound than he normally would. “Mother and Father have tried to stop my talk of the _jotuns_ in such a dismissive manner but I never listened.”

Loki smiled. “It doesn’t matter,” he said, letting the topic drop. “Father has fallen into the Odinsleep, no one knows when he’ll be back, and I can’t undo the spell of banishment on you. And we’ve uncovered something about the other pathways into Asgard. I fear no one is safe.”

“The threat of a war,” Thor muttered. “So much has changed in less than a day,” he said.

Loki nodded sadly. “I’ll do my best to keep you updated. It’s the least I could do.”

Thor nodded. “Then I think this is where we say goodbye.”

“Hopefully not for long.” Loki was silent for a few moments. “You know, I never wanted the throne. I still don’t want it. I always liked the idea of healing others and fighting by your side. Well, maybe not _fight,_ but I wanted to be your advisor. Not your ruler.”

“You’re afraid that you can’t do all three.”

“Well, Asgard seems less inviting without you around.”

Thor smirked. “You miss me that much?”

“Yes,” Loki said, surprising Thor – and himself – with the admission. “Yes, I do.”

“I miss you too,” Thor admitted. “Hopefully I can return to Asgard soon.”

“That’s all we can do now,” Loki agreed. “Hope.”

“Farewell, brother.”

“Goodbye.”


	5. Letting Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the lovely comments!   
> Now might be a good time to say that the fic title and all the chapter titles are from the names of songs from the soundtracks of the MCU movies (mostly the Thor and Avengers series)

Sigyn raised an eyebrow when Loki entered their chambers, holding a tottering pile of books. The doors had opened by themselves, with green light curling around the handles since Loki was doing his best to keep the stack of books in his arms… well… _in_ his arms. “When you said you were going to Midgard, I thought you meant you were going to see Thor, not buy out an entire bookstore.”

“I must correct you there,” Loki said, setting the books down carefully on the large desk in their chambers. “Midgardian bookstores are nowhere near as large as ours, but this little pile here wouldn’t fill a single shelf.”

“Oh?”

“Indeed,” Loki said seriously. He sighed. “But I did talk to Thor. Then, I visited our archives. I thought that it would be best to see if there was something written about the last Convergence.”

Sigyn scowled. “And you did not think once to ask the custodian which books would be most helpful?”

A series of expressions passed Loki’s face in rapid succession. He groaned. “Sigyn, I’m so sorry. I should have told you.”

“Yes, you should have,” she agreed. “However, you are not the worst person to walk the lengths of the archives. I trust that you will take these _first edition manuscripts_ very seriously.”

Loki looked sheepish. “Of course, love.”

She smiled. “Good,” she said, before picking up the book that lay on the top. “My archival system would guarantee that some, if not all of these books will be of help.”

“The records were a mess before you came to Asgard,” Loki agreed, before turning to the pile. “Most of my knowledge on these paths came from these very books, before I started to search for them myself. I merely mean to see whether there is something I missed, last time.”

“Well, that can wait. For now I have posted guards at some of the unmonitored pathways, so we shouldn’t expect visitors there. There are still the…”

“Branches of Yggdrasil,” Loki finished.

Yggdrasil had faded into human myths as the (literal) tree that connected the Nine Realms which lay across its branches. The actual structure of Yggdrasil was nebulous, and the branches metaphorical – at least to most. Loki had discovered early on that mages could pass through if they were strong enough. Only a handful of beings even knew these paths existed. The Nine Realms would be at great risk if one were to find out about them.

The books that Loki had brought to their chambers - not for the first time - spoke of the paths, but it seemed that the authors only knew of the through whisperings of others. Rumours of these paths had existed since the birth of Yggdrasil, of course, but they were merely that – rumours. Loki and Sigyn found it fit not to spread the news of the existence of these paths to anyone else.

“Those should be secure enough. No one knows they exist. Few know that they do, and only we can detect them. Now, tell me what Thor said.”

Loki sighed and sank into an armchair. “Not much,” he said, “but he was sorry for causing me distress through his talks of Jotunheim. He is not as dense as I originally thought.”

“Indeed,” Sigyn said. “Though I am not surprised. He loves you too much to let childhood tales sully his opinion of you. I think he would be willing to learn about the _jotuns’_ culture, even if it were only for you.”

Loki nodded absently. “I think Heimdall also knew. And Lady Eir, but I can understand why they would know.”

“Eir would need to know. She took care of you since you arrived here, she told me as much. She would have needed to know about the changes in your physiology.”

“I thought as much,” he agreed.

“Loki, you’ve read half these books too many times to think that you might have missed something,” Sigyn said as she went through the titles.

“I don’t know what to do,” he admitted, running a hand through his hair. “Only you and I – and Sleipnir – know how to move across the Branches of Yggdrasil.”

“You and I have kept these paths a secret to everyone but the Norns, who knew of them anyway, and Sleipnir isn’t exactly plotting against Asgard’s safety.”

“Wouldn’t that be a novel concept? The revered steed of Odin who accompanied him through several battles since before either of us were born seeks the ruin of the realm,” Loki grinned. He seemed to be more fond of the horse than Odin himself, and Sigyn understood. Sleipnir was the smartest and fastest horse in the Nine Realms. Possibly even the friendliest or most dangerous, depending on the other party.

Sigyn chuckled. “He wouldn’t take too kindly to that idea,” she pointed out. Loki shrugged. She looked down at the pile of books on the desk. “Loki, none of these books will give you the knowledge you seek.”

“I know,” he said. “I just hate not knowing what to do.”

Sigyn gazed at the books thoughtfully. “You could… you could do some research on _jotun_ customs,” she suggested. “I know you, and I know that you’re not comfortable with being one of the Frost Giants. Perhaps some idea of how they live how their society works would make you more accustomed to the concept?”

Loki stared at her. She began to wonder whether her suggestion made sense, when he spoke up. “That is a remarkable idea,” he said. “I’ll go back and get some of the tomes.”

“Oh no you don’t,” she warned. “While I have faith in your research methods, you have never actually seen the section on _jotuns_. I’ll pick out the books for you. It is my job, after all, as custodian.”

“Fair enough.”

...

The next week passed as peacefully as one Loki and Sigyn could have hoped. They had spoken to Frigga and Thor about their research, and they had been happy with how Loki was accepting the news. Loki also kept Thor updated on the situation concerning the possible invasion. Thor had, Loki knew, wanted to launch an attack on them, but even he knew that it would only make the issue more serious.

Loki was alone in the throne room this day, and he had used the opportunity to continue reading one of the tomes describing _jotun_ culture. He had been surprised by how many practices had been similar to those of Asgard. He also learned that small-born _jotuns_ usually excelled in magical arts. This was a pleasant surprise for him, since he loved learning about magic, though it didn’t explain why the _jotun_ king had left him alone in the Temple as a child.

He almost jumped out of his skin when the doors burst open to admit a sheepish-looking guard. “My Lord, there has been an attack, on Midgard. Lord Heimdall requests your presence.”

Loki sprang into action immediately. “Send for Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. Now! Tell them I wish to meet them at the Observatory.”

Loki hurried past the doors to the stables. Saddling his mare quickly, he mounted and urged her to charge. Horse and rider practically flew across the length of the Bifrost Bridge in a hurry to get to the Observatory. When he reached, Loki dismounted smoothly, running to meet his old mentor inside.

“Heimdall, tell me what’s going on.”

“Frost Giants. They’ve found a way into Midgard.”

Loki cursed. “Where is this?”

“A few miles from Thor’s current location – a town in… New Mexico, they call it. They’re closing on him, fast.”

The clattering of armour alerted them to the others’ presence. “You sent for us, Sire?” Sif asked.

“The Frost Giants are attacking Midgard. They’ll be upon Thor soon. I need you to alert him to this. Help him fight back, and do not hesitate to ask for reinforcements. Asgard’s armies are at your disposal, should you need them.”

Sif nodded. “Of course.”

Heimdall turned the sword and sent them into Midgard. Loki turned to him. “How large of a force will they need?”

“The numbers grow every minute. But the doorway won’t last. They should be able to take care of it themselves.”

“That’s a relief,” Loki muttered.

“You can see what’s going on, from the throne,” Heimdall said, correctly guessing what was running in Loki’s mind. “ _Hlidsjkalf_ was designed to provide the king with the gift of sight of all the beings in the Nine Realms. A mage such as yourself could tap into its powers with greater extent than might seem possible.”

Loki smiled. “I think I will,” he said.

 ...

Once he sat back on the throne, he willed the vision to unfold. The battle that waged on earth wasn’t too bad, the warriors had gotten all the innocents out of the town’s borders. They had slain most of the Frost Giants. The only one that remained was a giant beast, much like the one Thor had felled on Jotunheim.

The beast kicked Thor aside. The first son of Odin flew into the side of a building. He wasn’t breathing. Loki’s heart skipped a beat. He shifted his gaze towards Asgard and saw a legion of _jotuns_ crossing into the realm. He stood, ready to join the attack, but stopped when a horrible thought struck him.

His parents wouldn’t have known of the attack. He sprinted in the direction of Odin’s chambers, shoving the doors open. He saw Laufey raise a blade of ice, ready to stab Odin. “-and know that your death came by the hand of Laufey,” the _jotun_ King finished.

Loki raised Gungnir and fired a bolt of energy at his birth father. Laufey fell to the ground, dead. “And your death came by Loki Silvertongue,” he growled.

Spinning the staff in his hand, he fired two more blasts, killing the other _jotuns_ instantly. He then went to help his mother up. “Are you all right?” he asked, his eyes flicking across her as he checked for injuries.

“I’m fine,” she said. “You must go to Thor.”

Loki didn’t ask how she knew.

“Today this feud ends,” Loki snarled, and ran out of the room. He yanked a sword out of a fallen _jotun’s_ body and tossed it towards his mother, who caught it expertly. “Go,” Frigga said.

...

A small group of Frost Giants had blocked his way onto the Bifrost. Loki fought his way out, flinging daggers at them and blasting them with energy from Gungnir. He cut a swathe through the opposing army, hoping to reach the Observatory in time.

The Bifrost crackled with energy, and a familiar group of figures joined them. Lightning forked across the bridge, striking all the _jotuns._ Loki was thrown back by the force of the shockwave.

He grunted and got to his feet. Thor stood a few feet from him. He smiled. “Took you long enough,” Loki said.

“Sorry, I was busy dying and then not,” Thor replied.

“It’s good to see you.”

“Likewise,” Thor said.

Loki could sense a rip in space-time on the Bifrost. This was not a branch of Yggdrasil – those felt different to him. This rip was tinged with blue. The energy that emanated from it made Loki sway for a moment. Another horde joined the forces on the Bifrost, cutting them off from the Observatory. “Thor, get Heimdall out of there!” Loki yelled, as an idea entered his mind. The _jotuns_ were all collected near the Observatory, huddled together as they entered through.

Thor fought his way back to the Observatory and escorted Heimdall away. Loki summoned Gungnir’s energy. “Clear the area,” he said, his voice resonating with raw power. The power could not be contained for long, and he had a fair idea of how to divert it.

He spun the staff in his hands, holding it point down, and drove it into the Bifrost. As the tip touched the bridge, the colours flared and part of it flew into Loki’s armour, charring it slightly. He raised the spear again, and the _jotuns_ and Aesir alike watched in horror as he slammed down the staff once more. A crack spread across the surface, and shards of the material flew in all directions.

One last strike containing all his power caused an explosion large enough to send them all flying back. Loki tumbled over the edge, barely managing some sort of midair twist to grab the serrated edge of the Bifrost. He yelled as it cut into his palm, drawing blood and burning him at the same time. He unconsciously let go, and a strong hand caught him before he could fall.

Thor could barely hold onto his brother’s arm – the force of the Void, the inky nothingness that existed beneath the end of the Ginnungagap, was too strong. “Thor, let go!” Loki yelled. “There’s nothing you can do!”

“But if you fall-”

“I know! But if you try to hold on for longer, you’ll fall in too!”

Loki’s hand slipped by a few inches. Thor knew he was right, but couldn’t bring himself to admit it.

“It’s too strong for both of us.” Loki’s voice was calm. Steady. “You can’t hold on forever.”

“I can try,” Thor said stubbornly. His grip loosened even further. He looked back and realised that his friends were still battling the last of the Frost Giants.

“Thor, there’s nothing we can do,” Loki repeated.

“I’ll make them pay for this,” Thor muttered. Loki shook his head. “That’s what I mean, Thor. Don’t seek revenge. Most of them are innocent anyway. _Let go._ ”

A few more inches. Thor barely held on with his fingertips. He closed his eyes willing himself to hold on as tightly as he could.

“Thor?”

“Yes, Loki?”

Loki’s eyes were filled with sorrow. “I’m sorry.” Then his hand slipped completely, and he fell into the dark space below.

Time seemed to slow as the distance increased between the two brothers. Darkness engulfed Loki’s form. Thor shouted in despair. A moment passed, and Thor felt numb. His brother was _gone._ His heart sank as another thought struck him. “Bor help me,” he muttered. “What am I going to tell Sigyn?”

He stared at the Void for a few more moments, waiting for the revelation to sink in. He stood solemnly. “I’ll find you, brother, even if it takes me a thousand years. I will tear apart all of Helheim if I have to. I’ll find you, and I’ll bring you home.”


	6. Arrival

_{Two years later}_

 “Father, you wished to see me?” Thor strode into the Observatory with a confused frown.

“Thor, you have been searching for too long.” Odin didn't turn to look at him.

“Loki is my brother. I cannot lose hope.”

“Nor should you,” Heimdall said. “I found him.”

Thor’s heart almost stopped. “You found him?” he asked incredulously. Odin interrupted, “Your mother spoke to him earlier. She wasn’t sure how he had done it, but he told her that he was leading an army of soldiers from a race called the Chitauri to battle.”

“I’m sorry, you _spoke-_ ”

“He’s on Midgard. But there are a few things you must know before you try to bring him back.”

“Tell me quickly,” Thor said.

“He broke into an organisation by using a sceptre with an odd gem in it. I think it was linked to the Tesseract, which was already on Midgard.”

“So?” Thor asked. “It means he found a way back into the Nine Realms. Why would this be a problem?”

“That isn’t the problem.”

Heimdall and Odin briefed him on how his brother had used the sceptre to take control of some of the humans and cause an explosion that destroyed the facility. There had been no deaths, but several near fatal injuries. Loki had apparently also infiltrated a gathering and stolen a rare material found only on earth.

“Now he is being taken to another facility. I cannot use the Bifrost to ensure that you land on their ship, so you have to try some other way.”

“That will be no matter,” Odin said, “I can arrange for that.”

...

Thor was grim as he travelled across into Midgard. Jane had called it Earth, he remembered. Maybe after he brought his brother back he could see her. He landed on the jet in a crouch. Lightning forked around him. He used the light to find a door opening into a ramp. He jumped down and shouldered his way in. Loki seemed to be taken aback by the sudden appearance. Thor was struck by the surprise and – fear? – in his blue eyes.

Hang on, _blue_? Loki’s eyes had always been green. 

 A man clad in fully metal armour tried to fire a blast at him but he blocked it with his hammer, sending him flying across into another human wearing an oddly bright uniform that didn’t look like it would last in a fight. Perhaps it was made of a stronger material, like the ones found on Asgard. Thor grabbed his brother and flew out of the jet and onto a nearby cliff to speak to him alone.

As Thor landed, he let go of his brother, who skidded across the ground, finally hitting a rock. Loki winced and blinked rapidly. His gaze seemed to clear. Thor could see the piercing green once more. “Thor?” he croaked. “How in the Nine Realms-”

“Where is the Tesseract?”

“The what?”

“Don’t pretend not to know,” Thor growled.

Loki looked baffled. “I don’t-” the realisation seemed to hit him and he groaned. “Where are we?” he asked.

“On Midgard, as you well know.”

“Oh, this is horrible.” Loki scrambled to his feet. “How long was I gone?”

The question perplexed Thor. “Two years. Heimdall could not see you. Sigyn and I tried our best to find you – we contacted everyone we knew, searched all the records-”

“Thor,” Loki said in a low voice. “You could not have found me. Not while I was on that-”

Thor missed the rest of his reply as something plowed into him, knocking him off the cliff.

...

Loki stood still for a moment, thoroughly unnerved by the turn of events. If he was on Earth, it meant that _they_ had managed to control him through the sceptre. He sat down, watching the two men fight below. He needed to remember what had happened, which wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the fact that he had wielded the sceptre himself.

As the memories returned to him, he grew increasingly horrified. A large figure suddenly landed next to him. He glanced up. “Captain Rogers,” he said, standing.

The captain didn’t return the greeting. “I thought you’d take the opportunity to run.”

“From what?” he asked. “Thor’s fighting Stark in the valley, and I have no reason to flee.”

“No?” Captain Rogers asked, raising his eyebrows. “Funny, I thought, after the business in Stuttgart-”

“There is a lot I have to talk about,” Loki admitted, “But that can wait until that blows over.” He gestured at Thor and Stark.

The two of them turned to face the valley. Thor flew across a clearing and hit a tree, having been pushed back by a blast from Stark's armour. Loki decided that he wanted to talk to him about its design later, if - no,  _when_  - he got the chance.

“That’s not looking so good,” Captain Rogers said and leaped into the valley. Loki blinked. “Well, that was unexpected.”

...

“Where is the Tesseract?” Thor asked again when they were on the jet.

“I don’t know.”

Thor rolled his eyes.

“I actually don’t know. But tracking it through the sceptre should be easy. I think. It’s the first time I’ve been to Midgard in a hundred years. Times have changed. But I do know what they – the Chitauri – want it for,” he added.

“The what?”

“Chitauri. They’re a race that no one’s actually heard of. I’ll have to check in the records when I return to Asgard, but I’m sure they weren’t mentioned anywhere.”

“Okay, so I’m supposed to accept that you’re suddenly willing to help us?”

Loki shifted his gaze to look at Stark. “I never meant to invade Midgard. I was doing a good job at resisting obscure otherworldly beings that tried to force me into submission when they decided that telepathic control was the best course of action, thus ending with me finding myself here, three months later. Then I find that I've been missing for two years, having spent them in agony and surviving through stubbornness. You could accuse me of making the whole thing up, but what harm would it do to you to listen?”

Stark was silenced by the reply. Seeing that he wasn’t going to recover for a while, Captain Rogers spoke up. “You’re right about the listening bit, but how can you prove to us that you can be trusted? You did, after all, take down a SHIELD facility and try to get a bunch of innocents - civilians - to submit to you under the threat of death.”

Loki was silent for a moment, considering the question. “I’m not entirely sure,” he mused aloud. "I suppose you must simply give me a chance. Even if I don't deserve it."

The pilot – Stark had called her Agent Romanoff – moved over to the back of the jet. “It’ll be a few hours before we reach our destination, so you have more than enough time to talk.”

The three humans exchanged looks, coming to an unspoken agreement.  “Okay. We’ll listen to you. But you’ll also remain with us until we’ve found the Tesseract,” Captain Rogers said finally.

“I have no objections. The sooner we’re done with the matter, the better.” He took a deep breath. “The Tesseract is one of the most powerful objects in the universe, along with a few others, one of them being the gem in the sceptre. The Chitauri are merely pawns here – they’re bound to the person behind all this. His identity doesn’t matter right now – what _does_ matter is that he doesn’t get what he wants.”

“And, let me guess, he wants the Tesseract.”

“To cut short a long explanation, yes. He linked the sceptre to the Tesseract to create a portal between two points in space. But-”

“Oh, I know this bit,” Stark interrupted. “The portal ended up connecting wherever you were, you never really said, and the SHIELD facility.”

“Right, and I got through to Midgard, fully under control of that-”

“Control?”

Loki’s expression darkened. “Telepathic control,” he repeated. “The sceptre can be used to exert mind control over others. You’d have enough freedom to do things your way, but you’d still be bound by your orders.”

“That’s how you got Agent Barton and Doctor Selvig,” Romanoff realised.

Loki flinched. “It’s not the way I would have done things, normally.”

“Selvig?” Thor asked.

“An astrophysicist,” Tony elaborated.

“He’s a friend,” Thor said, offering no explanation.

“But they’re still alive?” she pressed.

“Yes, they all are.”

“So you said that you were under control then. How did you, uh, break free?” Captain Rogers asked.

“That was you, actually,” Loki said, turning to Thor. “On the cliff side.”

Thor nodded. “You hit your head,” he remembered. “I apologise for that.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but don’t,” Loki said with a smile. “It’s how I came back.”

“So if we find Barton, we just hit him round the head?” Romanoff asked.

“I suppose so.”

“I can do that.”

“And how can we find the Tesseract?” Rogers asked. “I mean, Banner’s already working on it, but I assume he’ll need help.”

“Oh, the sceptre has a similar energy signature to the Tesseract. We can program the computers to look for the energy field. I mean, I went through Doctor Selvig’s journals earlier and apparently it lets off gamma radiation.”

“Banner’s already tracking that,” Romanoff said. “If we add another factor to consider, it might make things worse.”

“Or it might make things better. It depends on the situation. He’ll say the same thing. I know it.”

“I’m glad one of us does.”

...

“How’s Sigyn?” Loki asked in a low voice. The others were discussing how to track the Tesseract, and he felt that it would be a while before they had some time to chat privately.

“She’s all right,” Thor assured him. “Worried about you, but all right.”

“Two years,” Loki muttered. “I don’t even know how long I was there.”

Thor placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. Loki looked wistful, as though someone had placed an invisible weight on his shoulders. “What did they do to you?” Thor asked. Loki looked away. He was silent for a long time.

“They tried to coerce me into doing this,” he said finally. Thor was aware that everyone had fallen silent. “They told me of things I never could have imagined. The Tesseract is only their immediate concern. Their dreams reach far beyond it. The Chitauri wish to destroy this planet.”

“I asked what they did to _you_ ,” Thor said gently. Loki closed his eyes. “You don’t have to tell me, just let me know if-”

“No, I’ll tell you.” Loki looked directly at Thor. “When I was with the Chitauri, I learned a lot about the ways of the universe, far beyond what we were taught in Asgard. I was… encouraged to do their bidding, or at least that of their leader. I only saw him once, at least at first, but he was a formidable figure. He tried to get me to follow his orders, but I resisted. Which is when he used the sceptre.”

Thor understood what he meant. “I’m sorry,” he said.

Loki smiled – a twisted, odd, but sincere smile. “You couldn’t have known. Besides, I’m here now, and I can help.”

“We would appreciate it,” Captain Rogers said. “Is it all you know?”

“Far from it,” Loki said grimly. “But most of it is irrelevant to the current problem that we face. Doctor Selvig is currently building a portal to the Chitauri and I’ve just given him one of the most important materials he requires.”


	7. Helicarrier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some mentions of torture (not graphic) in this chapter  
> Edit (27/10/18): I made a couple of changes in the scene where Loki and Thor talk to Phil Coulson. They don't really change the events that happen in the next few chapters but what I had written before didn't seem right to me.  
> Thanks for reading!

“So you needed Selvig to build you another portal,” Bruce said. They were on the main deck of the SHIELD helicarrier.

“I didn’t know that he’d be there, actually. And I didn’t need him, not personally.”

Bruce wondered what had happened. He could see that the Asgardian didn’t want to talk about it, however, and he changed the topic. He picked up a file and examined it carefully. “I think it’s about the mechanics,” he said. “What’s the iridium for?”

“To stabilise the portal, I think,” Loki said, trying to remember Selvig's rambles. “I don’t know how it would work, though.”

“It would keep the portal from collapsing in on itself just like it did at SHIELD.” Tony had overheard the last part of the exchange just as he entered. Thor turned to him, glowering. “No hard feelings, Point Break, you’ve got a mean swing,” he said, patting Thor’s large forearm. Thor backed down.

“Also, the iridium would mean that the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as the Chitauri want, since it apparently isn’t part of your desires.”

Loki raised an eyebrow, but remained silent, mildly amused. Stark’s dry wit reminded him of his own sarcasm, and was comforting in an unfamiliar situation such as this. Tony wandered into Fury’s commanding station. He clapped a hand over his eye, trying to look at all the monitors at once. “How does Fury even see these?” he asked.

“He turns,” Agent Maria Hill said flatly.

“Sounds exhausting,” Tony quipped. “Anyway, the rest of the raw materials Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. The only major component he needs is a power source with high energy density. Something to kick-start the cube.”

“When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?” Agent Hill asked sceptically.

“Last night,” Tony said without missing a beat. “Selvig’s notes. The extraction theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?”

“Why would he need a power source?” Loki asked. “I remember he mentioned it earlier.”

“He’d have to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier,” Bruce explained.

“Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilise the quantum tunnelling effect,” Tony added.

Bruce shrugged and took off his glasses. “Well, if he could do that, he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet.”

“Finally, someone who speaks English,” Tony exclaimed gleefully.

“Is that what just happened?” Cap glanced at Thor.

“It’s so good to finally meet you, Doctor Banner. Your work in antielectron collisions is unparalleled. And I’m a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster.” Tony shook the scientist’s hand eagerly.

“Thanks,” Bruce said, uneasy now that Tony had brought up the Hulk.

“Doctor Banner is only here to track the cube,” Fury said. “I was hoping you would join him.”

“We can start with the sceptre,” Loki said, exchanging a look with Steve, who continued, “It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon.”

“I don’t know about that,” Fury said, “but it is powered by the cube. And I would like to know how you used it to turn two of my best men into your personal flying monkeys,” he added to Loki.

“Monkeys?” Thor interjected. “I do not understand.”

“I do,” Steve said. “I understood that reference.”

“Shall we play, Doctor?” Tony asked, leading him into the lab.

...

“The gamma rays are definitely consistent with Selvig’s reports on the Tesseract. But it’s going to take weeks to process,” Bruce said.

Loki looked thoughtful, while Tony was already examining the structure of the SHIELD computers they had available. “If we bypass their mainframe and router directly to the Homer cluster, we can clock this at around six hundred teraflops,” the inventor said.

Bruce chuckled. “And all I packed was a toothbrush.”

“You know, you should come by Stark Tower sometime. Top ten floors, all R&D. You’d love it.”

“Thanks, but the last time I was in New York, I kind of… broke Harlem.”

“Well, I promise a stress-free environment. No tension, so surprises,” Tony walked behind Bruce, meaning to give him a little electrical zap, when Loki caught his eye and shook his head. Tony sighed. “Oh, you’re no fun.”

“So, where are we?” Cap walked into the room just as he heard the last comment. “Having fun, Stark?”

“Well, yes.” Tony backtracked a bit. “I was wondering, why did Fury call us in? Why now?”

Loki cleared his throat. “Probably because a random alien invaded your planet with hostile intentions?”

Tony shook his head. “That’s only part of the reason. What isn’t he telling us? I can’t do the equation unless I have all the variables.”

“You think Fury’s hiding something?” Steve asked.

“He’s a spy, Captain, he’s _the_ spy. His secrets have secrets.” Tony gestured vaguely at Bruce. “It’s bugging him too, isn’t it?”

“Ah,” Bruce said uncomfortably, “I just want to finish my work here…”

“Doctor.”

Loki looked at Bruce. He could tell that they were thinking the same thing. “The energy source you mentioned earlier,” he said. “Do you think-”

“It depends, but I think we’re right on this one.”

“Explain,” Cap said tersely.

“I mentioned earlier that I needed a power source strong enough to break the barrier,” Bruce said.

“I heard.”

“I mean, even if Barton didn’t tell you about Stark Tower, it was still all over the news,” Bruce said to Loki, who nodded.

“Stark Tower? That big, ugly…” Tony looked up sharply. “Building?” Cap finished. “In New York?”

“It’s powered by an arc reactor,” Loki said. “A self-sustained energy source, according to Barton.”

“That building will run itself for what, a year?”

“A warm light for all mankind to share,” Loki muttered. Tony gave him a lopsided grin and held out a packet of blueberries. Loki bit back a smile as he took a few. “It’s just the prototype. I’m kind of the only name for clean energy right now,” Tony explained to Cap. “That’s what they mean.”

Cap nodded slowly.

“So why didn’t SHIELD, who were trying to turn the Tesseract into an energy source, bring him on the project?” Loki concluded.

“I should probably look into that once my decryption program finishes breaking into all of SHIELD’s secure files.” Tony glanced at a small tablet the size of a credit card.

“I’m sorry,” Cap said. “Did you say-”

“JARVIS has been running it since I hit the bridge,” Tony interrupted smoothly. “In a few hours, I’ll know every dirty secret SHIELD has ever tried to hide.”

“Yet you’re confused as to why they don’t want you around.”

“An intelligence agency that fears intelligence? That’s historically… not awesome.”

Cap tamped down on his rising temper.

“Look, I may have just started the worst possible thing your planet needs right now, and we don’t need to get distracted over this,” Loki said hurriedly.

“We have our orders,” Cap said steely, ignoring the prince. “We should follow them.”

“Following’s not really my style,” Tony said through a mouthful of blueberries.

“And you’re all about style, aren’t you?”

“Steve,” Bruce interjected softly. It was the first time any of them had called the Captain by his first name. “Tell me none of this smells a little funky to you.”

Cap sighed, glancing at the others. “Just find the cube,” he said, and walked out of the lab.

The others watched him leave in silence. A few moments later, Tony burst out, “That’s the guy my dad never shut up about? Maybe they should’ve kept him on ice.”

“He has a history with the Tesseract,” Loki said. “One doesn’t need to be an expert in Midgardian history to get that. It’s making him uncomfortable.”

“And he was brought out of the ice just a couple of weeks back. It’s probably been hard for him to adjust. We’ve changed over the last seventy years.”

“Come on. We’re working with extra-terrestrial forces here. Actual, literal aliens. Everyone’s out of their depth, except you and Thor, I guess,” Tony addressed the last comment to Loki.

The trickster acknowledged this. “The Chitauri are much more prepared than you humans are,” he said gravely. “I don’t fancy ending up in their clutches again. We probably have a small chance at this if we can prevent the portal from getting built.”

“Too late for that, we don’t even know where it is,” Bruce said.

“We’ll have to be there for it,” Tony said.

“Yeah,” Bruce said. “I’ll read all about it.”

“Or you’ll be suiting up with the rest of us.”

Bruce shook his head with a regretful smile. “No, see, I don’t get a suit of armour. I’m exposed. Like a nerve. It’s a nightmare.”

Loki knew when to leave a conversation. “If you need me,” he said, already striding out, “I’ll be with Thor.”

...

Thor crouched next to some monitors, watching over Coulson’s shoulder as he showed him SHIELD’s files on Jane Foster. “As soon as Doctor Selvig was taken, we moved Jane Foster,” the agent said. “They’ve got an excellent observatory in Tromsø. She was asked to consult there, very suddenly – yesterday. Handsome fee, private plane, very remote. She’ll be safe.”

“Oh, definitely,” Loki said, walking up to the pair. “It was actually by chance that I found Doctor Selvig. I wasn’t looking for anyone in particular. I think.”

“You’ve been saying that a lot,” Coulson observed. Loki was glad that the agent’s tone held nothing but curiosity. “How come?”

Loki sighed. “I was telepathically controlled by the leader of a species I didn’t even know existed until they captured me,” he said. “It’s hard to know whose thoughts were whose. I’d like to think I wasn’t in charge, but that somehow makes it worse.”

They considered this in silence. Thor seemed to realise that Loki didn’t want to broach the topic further, so he said, “Erik is a good man.”

“I’m sure he is,” Loki agreed.

“He talks about you a lot. You changed his life. You changed everything around here,” Coulson told Thor, who looked uneasy at this.

“They were better as they were,” Thor said, referring to Erik and Jane. “We pretend on Asgard that we’re more advanced, but we come battling like _bilgesnipe._ ”

“What?” Coulson asked blankly.

“ _Bilgesnipe,_ ” Thor repeated. “You know. Huge, scaly, big antlers. You don’t have those?” he asked, halfway through miming the antlers.

“I don’t think so,” Coulson said.

“They mostly stay in the trenches of Nornheim,” Loki explained to Coulson.

“Repulsive – they trample everything in their path,” Thor said. Coulson shook his head. "We need to update the files tht we have on you both," he said. "So could I have your full names?"

"Odinson," Thor said immediately, automatically. Coulson nodded. He glanced at Loki, who frowned. His last name... he ran over his choices, trying them out in his mind.

"Friggason," he decided. "Loki Friggason." The name sounded nice as he said it, it sounded  _right._

Thor grinned at his brother. 

 “Anyway,” Loki said with a shy smile, “I have a feeling Agent Coulson wants to ask us something else?”

“Yeah, uh, this might be a bit redundant, but do you know where the Tesseract is?”

Loki shook his head apologetically. “I’m not sure,” he said. “They mentioned some place, but I can’t quite remember the name – I was still under the sceptre’s influence.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Coulson said. Loki could tell that he was being sincere.

“A lot of people think that,” Fury said. “Until the pain starts.”

Thor spun around, livid, to face Fury. Loki rested a hand on his shoulder, stepping forward calmly.

“I was trapped on that wasteland for two years, and was tortured _day after day_ to agree to their terms. It took them a while to realise that I wouldn’t give up any information, even when they turned my own thoughts against me. I find it hard, even after breaking from the sceptre’s influence, to distinguish truth from lies, my thoughts from theirs. I’m not afraid of any horrors you can concoct,” he said icily. “And I _am_ telling the truth. When I remember where the Tesseract is, I will let you know, unless Doctor Banner finds it first.”

Everyone stood in shocked silence for a few moments at that. Thor’s mind was reeling. Of all the things he’d expected, that reply wasn’t one of them. His heart sank. Loki rarely admitted to pain, even to Thor and Sigyn. And the two of them were the people closest to Loki, aside from Frigga. Thor shuddered to think of what his younger brother had been through.

Inside the lab, Tony and Bruce had heard everything. They shared a look. “I think my respect for him just increased by, like, sixty percent,” Tony said.

“He didn’t give in…” Bruce shook his head. “I wonder what must have been more important to him than the fate of a planet that wasn’t his own.”

...

“I, uh, couldn’t help but overhear what you said to Fury,” Natasha said to Loki, when the two of them were alone – or at least out of earshot of the others.

“I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret,” Loki said, crossing his arms. His expression was neutral.

“How bad was it?” she asked hesitantly.

“The violation was worse than the pain,” he said bluntly. He might not have admitted it to anyone else, but he got the feeling that he’d need to be completely honest during this conversation. “The sceptre invaded my mind. Once it gained control over my consciousness, whoever was using it could bind me to their will.” He wondered why she asked.

“Is that what happened to Clint?”

Ah. So that was it. Loki shook his head. “Agent Barton’s okay. The sceptre didn’t invade his mind completely. His memories weren’t laid bare, he’s…” Loki trailed off for a moment, unsure of how to explain it to her. “It’s like… he’s in control of his actions, but the motivation behind it is all me. And, through a technicality, the sceptre. I made sure no one was bound to me, or manipulated the way my own mind was.”

“Is he in pain?” she insisted.

“I don’t think so,” Loki said. “He’ll be fine.”

Natasha nodded.

“You seem to be quite close to him,” Loki observed, while kicking himself mentally for prying into her business. Still, curiosity had always gotten the better of him.

“I owe him a debt.”

Loki nodded, and the two of them fell silent.


	8. A Little Help

“What are you doing, Stark?”

“Uh, kind of been wondering the same thing about you,” Tony said.

“You’re supposed to be looking for the Tesseract,” Fury reminded them angrily.

“We are,” Bruce said, as Thor, Loki and Natasha entered the room. “The model’s locked, and we’re sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we should have the location within half a mile.” He turned to address Loki. “Your advice about calibrating the sceptre to the search really filtered out most of the results. We’ll be able to find the Tesseract much quicker than we expected.”

“I’m glad I could be of assistance,” Loki said humbly.

“Yeah, then you get the cube back. No muss, no fuss.” The monitor in front of Tony beeped. “What is ‘Phase Two’?” he asked Fury. He flicked a hand and blueprints appeared on the screen.

The sound of something banging onto a table near the door caused them all to jump and turn to see Cap glare at a rifle of some sort, one that matched the blueprint in front of Tony.

A HYDRA weapon from World War II.

“Phase Two is SHIELD uses the cube to make weapons,” Steve said stiffly, before glancing at Tony. “Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for me.”

“Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we’re making-”

“I’m sorry, Nick,” Tony interrupted, swivelling the monitor around for everyone to see. “Why were you lying?”

“I was wrong, Director, the world hasn’t changed one bit.”

“Did you know about this?” Bruce asked Natasha. She glanced at Fury and then said calmly, “You might want to remove yourself from this environment, Doctor.”

“I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed,” Bruce said scathingly.

“You didn’t come here because I batted my eyelashes at you.”

“Yes, and I’m not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy. I want to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction.”

“Because of him,” Fury said, pointing at Thor.

Thor glanced at him in disbelief. “Me?”

“Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that levelled a small town. We learned that we are not only alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned.”

“My people want nothing but peace with your planet,” Thor said.

“But you’re not the only people out there, are you?”

“The war with the Frost Giants was the only reason they came to Earth – to try and kill Thor, who is the son of their sworn enemy. How is that supposed to be Thor’s fault?” Loki was bewildered by this turn of events. “Most of the worlds I’ve been to have only ever wanted peace and good relations with other worlds.”

“My point is, the world’s filling up with people that can’t be matched, can’t be controlled.”

“Like you control the Tesseract?” Cap shot back.

“Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it,” Thor began, and Loki made a sound of protest. Thor looked at his brother apologetically, before correcting himself. “What drew the Chitauri to it. It is a signal to all realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war.”

“Not helping,” Loki muttered to his brother.

“A higher form?” Fury repeated incredulously. “You forced our hand. We had to come up with something.”

“A nuclear deterrent,” Tony said. “Because that always calms everything right down.”

“Remind me again how you made your fortune, Mr. Stark,” Fury said coldly.

“I’m sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck-deep,” Steve said.

“Hold on. How is this now about me?”

“I’m sorry, isn’t everything?”

“I thought humans were more evolved than this,” Thor commented. Loki glared at him. He felt a small telepathic nudge and glanced at the sceptre. It was glowing. He vaguely heard Thor start to say something that almost started an argument, and turned his attention back to the others in the room.

“Agent Romanoff, could you please escort Doctor Banner back to-”

“Where? The cell I’m sure you have downstairs?”

“The cell was just in case-”

“In case you needed to kill me, but you can’t. I know. _I’ve tried,_ ” Bruce said savagely. Things started to make sense now to Loki. “I put a bullet in my mouth, and the other guy spat it out. So I moved on. I focused on helping people. I was good. Until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone in danger. You want to know my secret, Agent Romanoff, you wanna know how I stay calm?”

Loki went motionless when Bruce picked up the sceptre. He found himself unable to speak, or move. Thor noticed his distress only when he made a small noise at the back of his throat, and took his hand in his own. While the gesture went unseen to the others, the contact made Loki relax slightly. The younger prince gripped Thor’s hand tightly. Thor didn’t wince.

“Doctor Banner,” Steve said after a moment of silence, “put the sceptre down.”

Bruce glanced down at his hand with a frown – apparently he’d picked it up without knowing that he’d done so.

“The sceptre is feeding off of negative energy,” Loki said when he found himself able to talk again. Thor thought that his brother had become unnaturally pale when the doctor had picked it up. His breaths were erratic, and Thor wondered what exactly had happened. “It-”

The computer beeped. Bruce set down the sceptre and walked over to the monitor. “Sorry, kids, you don’t get to see my party trick after all,” he said.

“The Tesseract belongs on Asgard,” Thor said. “No human-”

“I’ll go after it,” Tony said.

“No you don’t.” Steve moved to intercept him.

“Are you going to stop me?” Tony asked.

“Put on the suit,” Steve said in a deadly serious tone.

“Oh, no,” Bruce muttered, and the first explosion threw them across the lab into the opposite wall.

...

“It must be Barton,” Loki said, getting up with a grunt. “He must have come for me, or the sceptre.”

Another explosion rocked the Helicarrier. The lab had been torn apart – Natasha and Bruce had fallen through the floor, trapped under steel beams and other wreckage in the maintenance area.

Meanwhile, Tony and Steve rushed to arm themselves. Thor and Loki had pulled out anyone in the control room who had been trapped under debris when they heard a roar. Loki swore. “That’s the Hulk,” he said. “You should go to Agent Romanoff. They both fell together.”

Thor nodded and ran in their direction. He threw himself at the Hulk, who had cornered Natasha, and knocked him into a wall. The two of them began to fight.

...

“Here!” Steve called out when they reached the turbine.

“Good,” Tony called out. His voice rang through the earpiece Steve wore. He inspected the damage carefully. “Let’s see what we’ve got,” he said. “I need you to get to that engine control panel and tell me which relays are in the overload position,” he instructed.

Steve swung across the thirty-thousand-foot drop and pulled open the control panel. He saw a lot of circuits.

“What’s it look like in there?” Tony asked.

“It seems to run on some form of electricity,” Steve said dryly.

Tony shoved a large piece of debris away from the turbine. “Well, you’re not wrong,” he muttered.

Steve saw that none of the connections had been shorted out. “Okay,” he said. “The relays are intact. What’s our next move?”

Tony looked at the blades, which were motionless despite him clearing away most of the debris jamming the rotors. “Even if I clear the rotors, this thing won’t reengage without a jump. I have to get in there and push,” Tony said.

“If that thing gets up to speed, you’ll be shredded!”

“See that red lever?” Steve followed Tony’s outstretched arm and saw what he was pointing at. He jumped and landed next to it. “It’ll slow the blades long enough for me to get out. Stand by it and wait for my word.”

...

“We need a complete evac of the lower level,” Maria Hill called. She glanced at Coulson, who was the only person not occupied with keeping the Helicarrier in the air. The two of them moved to leave the bridge, when a clicking sound drew Maria’s attention. “Grenade!” she yelled, before it went off. The bridge suddenly filled with hostile soldiers. Bullets ricocheted from the walls and cracked heavy glass windows.

They were in the fight of their lives, returning shot for shot. Coulson heard an alarm going off downstairs and scrambled upright. He made his way into the lower levels, calling, “We have the Hulk and Thor on Level Four. Levels Two and Three are dark.”

He nearly ran straight into Loki just then. “What happened?” the Asgardian asked.

“The Hulk’s on Level Four now,” he said. “They’re taking care of it now.”

Loki nodded. “Anything I can do?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. I’m going to the containment cell. Try to bring the Hulk there.”

Thor came up behind them just then. “No point,” he said. “One of your fighters tried to distract Banner and was thrown out of the jet. He’s fine, if a bit shaken, but Banner’s gone.”

Coulson nodded. “Then we need to head back to the bridge. Everyone up there’s fighting.”

When they got back, they found that Barton had caused one of the remaining engines to malfunction. “I think Stark’s working on the damaged engine,” Loki remembered. "Didn't you say earlier that the Helicarrier would need at least three engines to function properly?"

“Then go help him,” Coulson said with a nod. “We’ll take care of this.”

...

Steve was trying his best to remain by the lever, but he was open to fire from all directions. Just as the thought crossed his mind, a group of agents started shooting at him. He ducked and fought back, but was forced to move from his position when one of them flung a grenade at him. He was knocked off by the force of the blast and was hanging by a cable, trying to get back on the platform.

“Cap, hit the lever,” Tony said.

“I need a minute here,” Steve yelled.

The turbine roared, reaching full power. “Lever. Now!” Tony sounded nervous. Steve hauled his way up and dodged fire. He grabbed a gun and shot back, not noticing as a figure landed lightly next to him. He did notice the dagger that hit the first man in the neck.

Steve rolled for cover, firing back. He knew who had joined the fray. “Loki! Tony’s up in the turbine. You have to pull the red lever to release him from it!”

Loki nodded, following the Captain’s outstretched hand and spotting the lever. “Cover me,” he said, and leaped gracefully onto the higher platform. Steve had to yank his gaze away from the warrior, fighting the urge to ask for a sketchbook. Now wasn’t the time. Loki thrust the lever down, releasing Tony, who flew out. His suit sparked as he crash-landed on top of some of the fighters.

...

“Agent Coulson is down,” Fury said over comms.

“A medical team is on its way to your location,” came the reply.

Thor rested against the wall. Coulson had been stabbed in the back by one of the agents who had been sent to recover the sceptre. He knew that it was too late, that the other man was gone. He looked up when he heard footsteps. Tony, Steve and Loki entered and crossed over to meet him.

“What happened? I heard Fury say-”

“Stabbed in the back,” Thor said grimly. “The sceptre is lost now. It’s probably on its way to the Tesseract now.”

“Anything you can remember?” Tony asked Loki. “About its location.”

Loki shook his head miserably. “It’s barely out of my reach, but I still can’t remember.”

“Too bad,” Fury said, walking up to them. “Could’ve used the knowledge.”

“Doctor Banner found out,” Thor said. “Just before the explosions.”

“It’ll be a while before we can restart the systems, but we can try,” Tony said.

“Good.”

...

“Was he married?” Steve asked Tony, referring to Coulson.

“No,” Tony said. “There was a, uh, cellist. I think.”

“I’m sorry,” Steve said. “He seemed like a good man.”

“He was an idiot,” Tony said bitterly.

“Why? For believing?” Fury had told them about the Avengers Initiative, and Coulson’s faith in the plan.

“For taking on that agent alone.”

“He was doing his job,” Loki said. He looked as drained as Tony felt, not that you could’ve seen it from the set of his shoulders. Tony only noticed because of the number of times he’d done the same. “Do not take that from him. He died in the line of duty, in saving the world.”

“The world isn’t saved yet. He was… he should have waited.”

“Everyone else was occupied,” Thor said. “I doubt there’s anything we could’ve done.” He sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than the others. Loki rested a hand on Thor’s shoulder, offering him silent comfort.

“Sometimes there isn’t a way out, Tony,” Steve said.

“Right, I’ve heard that before.”  _I wish there was._

“Is this the first time you’ve lost a soldier?”

“We are not soldiers,” Tony snarled. “I am not marching to Fury’s fife.”

“Neither are we,” Loki reasoned. “But we need to put our personal issues behind us for the moment and get this done.”

Tony, who had been pacing anxiously, stopped suddenly. Everything made sense to him now. “It’s personal,” he said, spinning to face Loki. “How did you say the sceptre worked on you?”

“Uh, it influenced my thought processes and turned them into commands when I used it on others?”

“But that’s not the point,” Steve said.

“That _is_ the point!” Tony crowed. “Look, if you were still under the sceptre's influence, and fighting it like you did earlier, the best course of action you could take, tactically – what would it be?”

“To hit you right where you live,” Loki said, catching on. “To tear you apart from the inside.”

“Yeah, but that’s kind of obvious. Also, we were talking about this earlier. You never told them where to take the Tesseract, but you knew somehow.”

“I think I see – oh.” Loki looked up at Tony, eyes wide. The mortal was a genius. “It’s the only place that makes sense. I’d want it to be grand, and effective. To send a message.”

“Your name plastered on a monument built to the skies?” Tony asked slyly. Steve sucked in a breath. “No,” he said.

“Oh, yes,” Tony said. “Gentlemen, the Tesseract is on Stark Tower.”


	9. Assemble

Steve went to the infirmary to speak to Natasha and Clint. After a bit of discussion, the matter was settled: Clint would fly one of the jets and they would go to Stark Tower. Tony and Thor would fly ahead and meet them at the site.

“It’s best if we send a few scouts to tell us about the situation,” Loki had said. “Especially since our flight isn’t authorised by Director Fury.”

Steve nodded. “You have five minutes to get ready,” he said. “Anyone who can’t fly, I want you to come with me. I want us in the air in ten minutes. Thor, Tony, I want you up in five. Survey the area, see how far along Doctor Selvig is in building the portal.”

...

“I’m sorry, you guys aren’t supposed to-” Steve raised a hand, stopping the young technician from talking. “Son, just don’t.”

As they took off in the Quinjet, Clint and Loki spoke over the comms. Natasha and Steve were silent as they settled the matter of mind control. Clint was bitter, but when he realised that Loki too had been a victim of similar control (with the additions of manipulation and torture), he understood and let it go.

“So, uh, how did you pick up archery? Everyone else here just uses guns,” Loki said after a while. He sounded genuinely curious to know, and not as though he was trying to fill the awkward silence. Steve wondered what the prince was actually like – he’d seen his good tactical plans on the Helicarrier, and suspected that the grand gestures he’d made were his attempts to draw their attention and set himself up to fail.

“I think that was partly the reason – I wanted something different. It also helped that I was _very_ good once I started practice,” Clint replied, expertly directing them towards Stark Tower. When the building came into view, the earpieces connected. “You got anything, Stark?” Steve asked.

“Good news and bad news. Good news: I found the Tesseract. Bad news: I can’t break the barrier. Oh, also good news: I found Doctor Selvig. Bad news: he’s unconscious and on the roof of the tower.”

Loki blinked. “Is the sceptre there?”

“It is inside the tower,” Thor said. “Has Banner returned yet?”

“Nope, no sign of him,” Natasha said. A blue beam of energy pierced the sky as the Tesseract activated. The Quinjet landed on the helipad and Loki descended. “That’s not good,” he said.

“Are you sure about the ride?” Steve asked worriedly.

“Not really, but it should be easy to get one. I can manage without it as well, but it would be helpful to have my own vehicle.”

Steve nodded and closed the door. The jet took off again, landing on a street just as the first wave entered through the massive portal. Tony blasted them as fast as he could with his repulsors, but there were too many of them.

The Battle of New York had begun.

...

“We need to get back up there,” Steve said.

“Too late for that, there are people everywhere,” Natasha pointed out.

A giant armoured creature passed through the portal, silencing them for a few moments. It was hundreds of feet long, with a huge mouth and tail. It seemed to swim through the air. It had no wings, but it had fins, and bony spikes sticking up from its back. It soared over Manhattan and doors opened in its sides, letting out hundreds of Chitauri soldiers.

“Stark, are you seeing this?” Steve asked over comms.

“Seeing. Still working on believing. Just keep me posted if Banner arrives,” Tony said.

...

“How do you plan on getting to the battle without a ship?” Thor asked his brother as the two of them stood against the edge of the tower’s helipad. Wind buffeted Thor’s cape and hair and he brushed it aside impatiently.

“Who says I don’t have a ship?” Loki said with a smirk and stepped backwards, off the helipad. Thor started forward but stopped, gaping, as his brother rose slowly on a Chitauri vehicle. “It’s fully armed as well,” Loki said smugly. “About the only thing I don’t regret about this entire situation.”

Thor chuckled. “I should have expected that.”

...

“Lots of civilians trapped up there,” Clint said, indicating the nearby buildings as they huddled behind a half-destroyed car.

A squadron of Chitauri flew past them, firing lasers, but one of them, the very last one, was firing at the other ships. Steve frowned at the ship, only then noticing the flutter of a green cape. He grinned. “Loki,” he said.

Steve turned back to Clint, addressing the problem he’d pointed out. “They’re fish in a barrel down there.”

Chitauri foot soldiers dropped down in front of them. “We’re good,” Natasha said when they marched at the trio. “Go.”

“You think you can hold them off?”

“Captain, it would be my genuine pleasure,” Clint said, nocking an arrow.

After a beat, they sprang into action. Steve ran down the street to the police, who had showed up just then, while Clint and Natasha started taking down the Chitauri. “Just like Budapest all over again,” Natasha commented as she simultaneously shot down a pair of Chitauri trying to sneak up on them.

Clint stopped shooting for long enough to gape at her incredulously. “You and I remember Budapest very differently.”

...

Thor had been vehemently taking down the Chitauri, taking it as personal vengeance. He signaled to Loki and landed next to Steve. Loki touched down gently. Steve instinctively wanted to take a step back when he saw the hostility in the prince’s eyes. He had a feeling that it was because of whatever had happened to him during those two years on their planet, or wherever they were. Steve was glad that he wasn’t a Chitauri, but he didn’t pity them.

“So what’s the story upstairs?” Steve asked the two brothers.

“The power surrounding the cube is impenetrable,” Thor said.

“Thor’s right,” Tony said, zipping past them. “You’ve got to deal with these guys.”

“How do we do this?” Natasha asked.

“As a team,” Steve said.

“I have unfinished business with the Chitauri,” Loki said in a deceptively calm tone.

“Yeah? Well, get in line,” Clint said, clearly less calm than then prince.

“There’s enough for the both of us.”

“Yeah, and then some,” Clint agreed.

“We need to keep this fight focused on us,” Steve said. “Otherwise things can run wild. We’ve got Stark up top-”

The puttering of a motorbike interrupted the conversation. Steve glanced over to see Bruce Banner. “So,” Bruce said, “This all seems horrible.”

“I’ve seen worse,” Natasha said.

He knew what she meant. “Sorry.”

“No,” she said. “We could use a little worse.”

“Stark, we’ve got him,” Steve said to Tony.

“Banner?”

“Just like you said.”

“Then tell him to suit up, I’m bringing the party to you.”

A moment later, Iron Man swooped around a corner, with the armoured beast behind him in pursuit.

“I – I don’t see how that’s a party,” Natasha said, sounding as close to nervous as any of them had seen.

“Doctor Banner,” Steve called. “Now might be a good time for you to get angry.”

Bruce was already walking in the direction of the beast. “That’s my secret, Captain,” he said, glancing over his shoulder. “I’m always angry.”

The transformation took over him, making him grow. His clothes shredded away as Bruce changed into an eight-foot-tall, two-thousand-pound, green mass of rage – the Hulk. The Hulk brought his fist down on the creature’s head with a resounding crunch.

The creature crashed into the street and lay still. The remaining Chitauri screeched in horror. Loki tensed suddenly when a relay flashed on his ship and looked up. “They’re sending the rest,” he muttered.

“Uh, guys?” Natasha called, looking at the still-open portal. More Chitauri poured through, and so did more Leviathans, as they had decided to call the armoured beasts.

“Call it, Captain,” Tony said.

“All right, listen up. Until we can close that portal, our priority’s containment. Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, Loki, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out; you turn it back or turn it to ash.”

Clint turned to them. “Either of you want to give me a lift?”

They shrugged in unison. Clint stepped on the ship. The three of them took off. Loki left Clint on the roof and sped off to hold the perimeter.

“Thor, you have to bottleneck that portal,” Steve continued. “Slow them down. You got the lightning – light ‘em up.”

Thor swung Mjolnir and launched himself into the sky. Steve turned to Natasha. “You and me, we stay here on the ground, keep the fighting here. And, Hulk?”

The Hulk snorted. There was only one possible direction to give him.

“Smash,” Steve said.

The Hulk bared his teeth and leaped away. He bounded up the sides of nearby buildings, crushing the opposing forces with single blows. He swatted away their ships down before charging off.

Loki, who had been in pursuit and on one of the ships the Hulk had nearly swatted, swerved to avoid him. He cursed under his breath as he regained control of the ship. He looked up to see Thor flying to the top of the Empire State Building. His brother summoned storm clouds and turned the spire of the skyscraper into a lightning rod.

Thor let the lightning blaze up towards the portal in a single forking bolt. Hundreds of Chitauri who were coming through died instantly. Loki fired at the rest, mindful of the perimeter. Natasha’s voice sounded through the earpiece he wore. “Meet me on the bridge in five minutes,” she said.

“Any ideas?”

“I need to get to Stark Tower,” she elaborated.

“I’ll be there.”

“Don’t land,” she added, perplexing him.

“What?”

“Just, get over here, and wait for a bit, and fly overhead. You’ll waste time landing.”

“And you won’t die trying to board a ship if I do,” he protested.

“Trust me,” she said.

Loki groaned and changed course. He had drawn the attention of a few of the Chitauri pilots, however, and they were currently chasing him. He zipped over the bridge Natasha had mentioned (presumably the one they had met up on a while ago) and felt a small weight at the back of the ship. He glanced backward to see Natasha climbing aboard.

“What did you – I take back my comment, that was unexpected and impressive,” he said, remembering that Sigyn had done something similar one time to land on a skiff as the pair fought a Bilgesnipe that had somehow gotten loose the palace training grounds. The two of them still had no idea how it had managed to find its way into Asgard.

Natasha grinned. “I have to try closing the portal,” she said. “It’s our only shot.”

Loki nodded. He expertly flew them over the landscape and neared Stark Tower. “Just slow down a bit when you get there,” she said. “I can jump off.”

“I can do that,” he muttered, dodging Chitauri fire.

He slowed down just enough for Natasha to leap onto the rooftop of Stark tower. The S, T and R had been knocked off from the logo during the fight. _So much for having your name plastered in the skies,_ Loki thought as he turned the aircraft around steeply in a circle, firing at the Chitauri pursuing him.

...

“Stark, do you hear me? You have a missile headed straight for the city,” Fury said through the earpiece.

Tony grunted when a Chitauri soldier tried to break through his armour. The metal dented, but held. “How long?”

“Three minutes, max,” Fury replied. “The payload will wipe out Midtown. At least.”

“JARVIS, put everything into the thrusters,” Tony said immediately, wasting no time in replying.

A few minutes later, Agent Romanoff’s voice came through. “I can close it,” she said. “Can anybody copy? I can shut the portal down!”

“Do it,” Steve replied.

“No, wait!” Tony cried.

“Stark, these things are still coming!”

“I got a nuke coming in,” he said. “It’s going to blow in less than a minute, and I know just where to put it.”

Tony caught the missile right after it passed under the Verrazno-Narrows Bridge. He rode the missile north, following its course, while forcing it in a steep upward angle as they neared the portal.

The Mark 7 suit wasn’t functioning to its full capacity after the battle. It was no easy task to angle the missile sharply enough to clear the tower, but Tony managed it. His stabilisers strained, but held.

“Stark, you know that’s a one-way trip,” Steve said.

Tony ignored the comment. “Save the rest for return, J,” he said after positioning the missile correctly.

“Sir, shall I try Miss Potts?” JARVIS asked.

Tony fell silent for a moment. “Might as well,” he said, feigning nonchalance.

He fired the lateral thrusters as they cleared Stark Tower, adding his own thrust to the missile’s and shooting upwards, parallel to the blue beam in the sky. Pepper wasn’t answering.

Tony could see what was on the other side of the portal. Stars, empty space, and the Chitauri ship. It was oddly beautiful, Tony thought. And horrifying.

The wireless link to Stark Tower was broken as he passed through the portal. Tony’s systems started to power down. He let go of the missile. It wasn’t the worst way to go, he thought, surrounded by the expanse of the universe. He thought about what Fury had said about being outgunned. The Chitauri technology exceeded theirs by decades, if not centuries.

One day, Tony thought, humanity would reach out to the stars.

But that meant defeating the Chitauri.

A ball of fire bloomed in the heart of the mothership. In seconds, the entire vessel was engulfed by explosions.

Tony closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm... sorry?


	10. Earth to Asgard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for mentions of torture: this isn't a passing mention like in chapter 7, this is more descriptive, though not graphic.  
> (Also I don't know how to write reunions eep)

On the streets of New York, the remaining Chitauri dropped down suddenly – including the Leviathans. The Avengers looked up towards the portal intently. They knew what had happened – Tony Stark had pulled through. Loki leaped out of the ship he was riding, which had shut down with the rest of the Chitauri crafts. He rolled to absorb impact as he landed on the ground before lying on his back for a minute.

It took him a minute to realise why he felt so light. He was completely free of whatever hold the Chitauri had over him.

And then he saw the explosion. It happened inside the portal, which Stark had just flown through. He heard a sharp intake of breath behind him – Natasha Romanoff – and realised with a dawning horror that no one could have survived that. Loki stood shakily, looking wide-eyed at Natasha. The SHIELD agent waited for a few moments. “Close it,” Steve said. The message was clear. There was nothing they could do.

Natasha pursed her lips in distaste and leaned in to the tip of the sceptre to the Tesseract. The beam of energy winked out and the portal began to close. Suddenly, a tiny speck that was Iron Man fell through the portal into the sky.

“Sonofagun,” Steve said in relief. Everyone on the ground was smiling except Thor, whose instincts were crawling with dread. “Something isn’t right,” he said, ready to intercept Tony before he could hit the ground.

However, the Hulk leaped into view, caught Iron Man and came to rest on the other side of the street after sliding down the side of a building. Thor and Steve came running. “Is he alive?” Steve asked.

Thor ripped the mask off the armour. Tony didn’t move. The miniature arc reactor had gone dark. The gravity of the situation loomed over them suddenly. Tony Stark had sacrificed himself to save the world.

The Hulk pounded the ground with his arms and roared. Steve could feel the vibrations under his feet. Tony gasped and his eyes flew open.  “What?” he asked frantically. “What just happened?” he looked around at the others. “Please tell me nobody kissed me,” he said.

The Hulk grunted. Steve smiled and shook his head. “We won,” he said.

Tony, who had started to sit up, grunted and lay back down again. “All right, yay,” he said in an exhausted tone. “All right. Great job, guys,” he said, as the others joined them. “Let’s just not come in tomorrow. Let’s just take a day.”

He was silent for a moment, getting his breath back. The others could tell that he wasn’t finished. “Have you ever tried shawarma? There’s a shawarma joint two blocks from here. I don’t know what it is, but I wanna try it.”

“Shawarma,” Steve said. He didn’t know what it was either. “Sure, why not?”

“We’re not finished yet,” Thor reminded them, but he was smiling. “We need to make sure that the Tesseract returns to Asgard.”

“Right, of course,” Tony said. “Then shawarma after.”

...

“Can’t wait to get back?”

Loki looked at Natasha, who had snuck up behind him. “You know, not many people can sneak up on me,” he said.

“About time someone could,” she replied. “Well? You didn’t answer my question.”

“Of course I can’t wait. It’s been a terrible two years.”

Natasha nodded. “Of course.”

“So what’s it going to be now?” Clint asked, walking up to them. “Aliens on earth – somehow worse than all those movies make it out to be.”

“Hopefully there won’t be any more such invasions,” Loki said. “You humans have enough to deal with as it is. No need to factor in extraterrestrials. And, not all of us seek out war. There are plenty of worlds out there that just want interplanetary peace.”

“Any from our system?” Clint asked.

“No, but Vanaheim is one of them. The Vanir are a peaceful race of scholars, and have been Asgard’s allies since the Great Beginning – which is an agreement, a treaty of sorts. Vanaheim and Asgard cemented their alliance after I-” _married Sigyn_ – “met their princess.”

Natash cocked her head, sensing a bigger story behind that sentence. Loki didn’t really feel like elaborating now, when he was so close to getting back to the person he would normally would not have stopped talking about.

Thor came up to them and nodded at Loki. “It’s time,” he said.

“Well, then. I hope we’ll see each other again, though not under these circumstances,” Loki said with a smile and a bow.

“I hope so too,” Clint replied.

The two brothers walked up to the clearing. “Aren’t we calling for the Bifrost?” Loki asked.

“It is not fixed yet.”

Loki looked guilty for a minute. “I should have thought of another way of dealing with the invasion.”

“There was nothing else that you could have done,” Thor soothed.

“I wish there was,” Loki said bitterly. “Then this – the last two years – wouldn’t have happened. And you could have a path to Jane.”

Thor sighed. “I know, brother. But do not blame yourself for this.”

Loki shrugged and took the proffered handle. The Tesseract had been placed inside a teleport device – a box with two handles that could be turned. Thor nodded at the others and turned the handle. They watched the two Asgardians dematerialise in silence. Then they went their separate ways.

...

Thor and Loki materialised outside the Observatory - or rather, where the Observatory had been - where Heimdall stood as always. “I saw you coming,” he told Thor. “It’s good to see you, Prince,” he told Loki.

“It’s good to be back,” Loki said, looking at the skyline, which had never looked more beautiful to him. “I trust the conflict with the Frost Giants has been resolved?”

“It has. Apparently the populace was not entirely pleased with their King’s decision. They have chosen a better successor,” Heimdall agreed. “But there’s someone here to see you.” He was looking over Loki’s shoulder.

Loki turned and froze, not able to believe his eyes.

“Hello,” Sigyn said with a small smile.

“Sigyn,” Loki said. The ability to form sentences appeared to have left him. He stepped forward, abandoning all attempts to speak, and pulled her into a tight embrace. She wrapped her arms around him, and they stayed in the position for what seemed like hours.

“I was so worried,” she whispered. “But you’re here. You’re finally here.”

Loki closed his eyes and rested his head on her shoulder. “I’m here,” he said, so soft that only she could hear him. She pulled away just then, holding him at an arm’s distance. Her eyes searched his expression for something she had caught just then. “Loki, what happened to you in the last two years?”

He sighed, shoulders slumping. He suddenly couldn’t meet her eyes. “I was… it was…” he struggled to find the right description. “The only reason I’m still here – still sane – is because I thought of you. Every day, I would think of you. And the thought of you pushed me forward, carried me into the next day.”

He met her gaze then, eyes filled with love, determination, and tears. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I wish I could have found you sooner, to have spared you this.”

A solitary tear rolled down his cheek. “That doesn’t matter,” he said. “What matters is that I’m here now. On Asgard. With you.”

“We’ll talk about this later,” Sigyn said, knowing what he was doing. “It does one no good to run away from the past. It is better to face it head on. Only then can we hope to move on with our lives.”

Loki smiled and wiped away the tear. “Has anyone told you how wise you are?”

“A few times, yes,” she said with a cheeky grin.

“I love you,” he said reverently, and pressed his lips to hers. She pulled him closer to her, her hands moving to rest behind his neck. Loki held her gently, almost delicately, as though he couldn’t quite believe she was there. And finally, now that he was in Sigyn’s arms, he could believe that he was home.

...

The three of them were talking animatedly as they walked back to the main palace. Loki was telling her about how the humans had become much more efficient over the last few centuries when the doors opened for them.

Frigga smiled at Loki. “My children,” she said welcomingly.

“It is good to see you,” Odin said. “After such a long disappearance, this is most welcome.”

Loki hugged his mother tightly. “I’ve missed you,” he said, burying his head in her shoulder.

“And I you.”

...

“We also brought the Tesseract back,” Thor concluded. “I thought we could store it in the Vaults, and we could examine it fully.”

Loki looked at him sharply. “Absolutely not,” he said immediately.

“Not to use it, but we might as well know what it is,” Thor said.

“We are not conducting experiments on the Tesseract,” Loki repeated, “under any circumstances.”

“If you think it’s for the best,” Thor said, backing off.

“I do,” Loki said warily. Thor, in his past experiences, rarely ever backed off that quickly.

“Then we’ll just leave it in the Vaults.”

“Good.”

“I trust this is all?” Odin asked.

“Just about,” Thor said. He knew that Loki had left out a lot about what had happened over the last two years and just given Odin all the relevant information. Specifically, he’d skipped over most of the torture.

Odin nodded. “I wanted to discuss something with you,” he said. “The Nine Realms are in chaos after the _jotuns_ invaded not one, but two realms.”

“How did they find out?”

“It was about time,” Sigyn said. “I wondered how they hadn’t already found out. This happened over the span of a week. When you went to Earth, somehow the news leaked out.”

“Now there are riots, marauders are pillaging, and no one feels safe.”

“So you want us to take care of it, obviously.”

“Naturally,” Odin said. “You set off next week for Alfheim – the attacks are the most serious there.”

...

Loki was gazing out from the window. Sigyn noticed his nostalgic expression and went to sit next to him. “What are you thinking?”

“I’ve lived here all my life,” he said, not looking at her, “and I never once thought – the view is so beautiful. Maybe I’m thinking that because of what happened.”

“Yes,” she agreed, “you are thinking that consciously now, but the view has always been this beautiful.”

Loki was silent, thoughtful. “And you say that because you spent the majority of your childhood on Vanaheim.”

Sigyn laughed and Loki leaned into her. The two of them watched the sunset in comfortable silence. “Do you think now’s a good time to bring up what we were discussing earlier?” Loki asked.

“No time will seem like a good time to bring up bad experiences,” Sigyn said. “But now that you’ve brought it up, we might as well put it behind us. What happened?”

Loki sighed. “When I fell from the Bifrost, I fell through the Void... but that was not the end of it. By all means, I should have been dead. But somehow, possibly because the Convergence is nearly upon us, there was a portal at the lip of the Void. Technically, I was still _in_ the Void, but then I was pulled elsewhere. I… I didn’t know where I would go. I landed on a rock in the middle of nowhere, which was unexpected. Some of the Chitauri spotted me and took me to their cells. I didn’t argue, since I knew that some sort of procedure had to be followed.

“Over the next few days, I was basically just answering questions. Who I was, where I was from, what I was doing there… I discovered then that they were the ones responsible for the Frost Giant invasion. They told Laufey about the hidden paths, the ones I hadn’t tracked. One of them, specifically. Called the Other. The Chitauri were little more than mindless soldiers. The Other was their leader, and he seemed to know what was going on. So I decided to stay for a while. And then, _he_ came.

“I don’t remember him, because of the sceptre meddling with my mind, but I remember what happened. He told me of some powerful objects that existed across the universe, how he wanted them for... Well, he can’t die, and thinks that the Lady Death is teasing him, flirting with him, if you will. He believed that a large enough sacrifice would be a good gift to please her. It was plain to see that he was infatuated, obsessed with the idea of courting Death.

“When he put forward the offer of getting back the Tesseract in exchange for Earth, I declined. He left me alone for the most part, initially. But his henchmen, if you will, the Chitauri, they didn’t. They… tortured me. But there seemed to be no purpose to the pain, not until he returned. He brought the sceptre. After telling me what it could do, he told me what he intended to use it for. How it could be used. And then he used it on me. The sceptre was merely a tool, and it had fallen into the hands of the worst possible person in the universe.

“Over the next few months, he, uh…” Loki stopped for a moment, unable to find words that could describe the horrors he had faced. “The sceptre was in my mind. It saw all my memories, and it turned them against me. It was… incredibly violating. He erased and rewrote my personality multiple times to the point where I didn’t know who I was anymore. He changed _me_ , changed who I was, and everything I stood for. He - I -” His throat closed up with remembered fear and pain and overwhelming _disgust_ , at his tormentor, at the Other, who'd stood by and watched in silence, and at  _himself_ , though he didn't know why - all he had known was that it was all so very  _wrong_.

“I got better, though, on Earth. The gem in the sceptre, the Mind Stone, its influence was somewhat helpful. The gem itself is not malicious. But the sceptre that holds it was crafted with hostile intentions. I can actually trust my own thoughts now. I still refused to cave in. He wanted me to do the task willingly, but realised that I would never agree. And that was when he used the sceptre, again, to control me completely. Telepathic control meant that I was pushed to the furthest corners of my mind. I was…” he shook his head, unable to continue.

Sigyn’s heart ached for him. She felt sickened when he described what he’d been through. She wondered how the Norns could be so cruel to a single person. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

Loki pulled her closer to his side and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “It’s going to take a while for me to trust myself completely,” he admitted. “But it will be easier with your help.”

“And Thor’s,” she said. “He knows, doesn’t he?”

Loki nodded. “I spoke to him once everything was settled on Midgard. He’s willing to help.”

“Of course he is,” Sigyn said. “He’s your brother. He’d do anything for you. Loki, I swear upon the Norns that I will do anything I can to help you. Never doubt that.” She paused. “A week before you leave is not nearly enough time for you to recover completely. But it is a start.”

Loki smiled, and dawn seemed to break over him for the first time in so long. “Thank you.”


	11. A Universe from Nothing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT NOTE: I made a couple of changes in chapter 7: Helicarrier. These don't change the events in chapters 8, 9 and 10, but I didn't like the way the scene where Thor and Loki spoke with Coulson went, so I wanted to change it up.
> 
> Also, this chapter really go away from me, it's much longer than I had originally intended it to be. Completely unrelated: I headcanon that Asgard displays complete gender equality, but the warriors would have forgotten that because most women don't want to fight in their army (I like to think they find it brutish and unnecessary and spend more time learning more intricate arts like magic)

_{Six Months Later}_

“The Convergence is almost upon us,” Heimdall said. “And the Nine Realms are peaceful once more.”

“Now we can sit back and watch the show,” Loki said with a small smile. He had been recovering quite well in the last six months, and had taken to visiting his old mentor once more in the last three. He had been afraid of triggering his memories of the Void and had avoided the Observatory after that one trip through the Bifrost to Alfheim. The conflict they’d had to settle (and injuries that the warriors sustained) had also triggered a panic attack just as the battle had ended, and he had decided to avoid fighting unless it was an emergency. “I’ve been told it was beautiful.”

“So have I,” Heimdall agreed, “But given all the conflict in the Nine Realms…”

“Most of the conflict has been resolved.”

“ _Most?_ I was under the impression your brother just returned from the last battle on Vanaheim.”

“The only conflict that remains,” Loki said, “is in Thor’s heart.”

“How poetic,” Heimdall said with a wry smile, before adding, “He comes to the Bifrost every day.”

“She’s a good person, from what I’ve heard. And seen, in the few times I visited Thor during my brief time on the throne.”

“She’s a mortal,” Heimdall pointed out. “Thor has to speak to her about that.”

Loki turned to the window. He had long since learned the intricacies of the universe, and his experience with the sceptre had had the one positive after-effect of enhancing his senses. He couldn’t see everyone’s souls as Heimdall could, but his sight was sharper than most, given his contact with the Space and Mind Stones. Which meant that he was one of the few individuals who could watch the Convergence for what it really was.

“That’s why he hasn’t visited her yet.”

...

Volstagg was excitedly retelling the tale of the Battle of Vanaheim to the children. Fandral glanced at the two brothers and raised an eyebrow. Thor smiled half-heartedly at the highly exaggerated story. “Bit of a hyperbole,” he muttered to Loki, who grinned into his flagon of mead.

Thor had spent the last six months helping his brother recover from the ordeal he had been through the previous years. Loki was doing extremely well, Thor thought. He was smiling more often, though not as much as he liked. But Thor wasn’t going to complain. Knowing what had happened to Loki, even this was a miracle. The trickster had stopped accompanying him to battles after the first mission Odin had sent them on after they had returned from Midgard. Thor had to admit, while he missed having his brother by his side, he was glad that Loki was safe on Asgard. He knew not to mention this to Loki, lest he find a tiny dagger in his side (a habit Sigyn hadn’t quite managed to wring out of Loki).

“At least the children are entertained,” Loki replied, setting down the flagon.

“Oh, come on,” Fandral said. “I can’t believe you’re excusing this.”

“You’re just sore because you fell on your face trying to pull off another of your fancy moves. What was it this time?”

“He fell off trying to land ‘gracefully’ from his horse, which I can believe if it weren’t for the fact that you tried to spin dramatically in midair,” Sif supplied. “Are you going to finish this?” she pointed at the mead Loki hadn’t touched.

“No, you can have it,” he said, pushing it over to her. “Someone needs a clear head when you all end up in the healing room after the party. If you all went to Eir like that time after Vanaheim…”

Sif shuddered. “Well, _that_ was an absolute nightmare.”

“You’re telling me,” Loki countered. “I couldn’t look Sigyn in the face for a month after the incident.”

Everyone laughed. “If you’ll excuse me,” Thor said, and left. The rest of them stared after him.

“He won’t even stay at a party,” Sif said. “I’ll go talk to him.”

“If that works, I’ll give you the best sword I’ve got,” Fandral called.

Sif yelled something back that was lost over the noise.

“What did she say?”

“She doesn’t want your sword, I’d wager.” Loki stood. “I’m going to the healing room.”

Fandral nodded. “See you tomorrow, then.”

“Oh, at the rate you’re celebrating, I think we’ll be seeing each other much sooner than that.”

...

Thor’s cloak billowed around him as he entered the observatory. It had been damaged during the battle against the Frost Giants and had been rebuilt in a more efficient manner. “You’re late,” Heimdall said.

Thor shrugged. “Merriment can sometimes be a heavier burden than battle.”

Heimdall chuckled. “Then you’re doing one of them incorrectly.”

“Perhaps.” The two of them were silent for a few moments. “How fare the stars?” Thor asked.

“Still shining. From here I can see the Nine Realms and ten trillion souls.”

Thor nodded. He knew this already, though he couldn’t see them himself. “You recall what I told you of the Convergence?” Heimdall asked, stepping from the central pedestal.

“Yes, the alignment of the Nine Realms. It approaches, doesn’t it?”

“The universe hasn’t seen this marvel since before my watch began. Your brother has been observing it as well. He comes here every day, much like you. Few can sense it, and even fewer can see it. And while its effects can be dangerous, it is truly beautiful.”

The two of them watched the stars in silence. “I see nothing,” Thor said after a few minutes.

“Or perhaps,” Heimdall said slyly, “that is not the beauty you seek.”

Thor laughed. “How is she?”

“She’s quite clever, your mortal. She doesn’t know it yet, but she studies the Convergence as well. Even…” his voice trailed off, and Thor frowned with worry.

“What?” he asked.

“I can’t see her,” Heimdall said, almost to himself.

...

Loki glanced up at Thor as he entered the central healing room, in the middle of preparing a hangover cure for Fandral, who was doubtless already _very_ drunk. “Thor?”

“It’s Jane,” Thor said. Said mortal was gazing around the healing room with wide eyes. “She’s ill.”

“Humans are perfectly capable of treating illnesses, brother; you have to give them more credit than that, though I understand your concern.”

“I don’t think it’s a normal illness.”

Loki shrugged and set down the goblet, which had started smoking. It would be ready in a few hours. “Then I suppose the healers can look at it first.”

The two of them watched the healers work in silence. Jane was looking up excitedly. “What’s that?” she asked, pointing at one of the instruments.

“Be still,” Eir said irritably.

“This is not of Earth,” Thor said. “What is it?”

“I do not know,” Eir said, puzzled. “But she will not survive the amount of energy surging within her.”

“What energy?” Loki asked, walking up to her. She stepped aside to let him see the results. “This looks like your area of expertise,” they said. “Magical illnesses.”

“That’s a quantum field generator, isn’t it?” Jane interrupted.

“It’s a soul forge,” Eir replied curtly, as Loki studied the results silently.

“Does a soul forge transfer molecular energy from one place to another?”

Eir looked impressed. “Yes,” she said.

“These scans make no sense,” Loki said to the chief Healer. “She’s healthy, but her life force is draining.”

Jane sat up as Eir turned off the machine. “You’re…”

“I’m Loki,” he said, extending a hand. Her eyes lit up in recognition. “Oh, Thor told me about you, you’re his brother, and you helped fight off the invasion of New York. I saw you on TV. On the news.” She shook his hand.

They heard footsteps as Odin entered with an armed guard. “My words are mere noises to you that you ignore them completely?”

“She’s ill,” Thor said.

“She is mortal. Illness is their defining trait.” Loki frowned at Odin, but didn’t speak up.

“I brought her here so that we can help her.”

“She does not belong here on Asgard more than a goat belongs on a banquet table,” Odin said. Loki started to say something, but Jane exclaimed, “Did he just…? Who do you think you are?”

“I am Odin, King of Asgard. Protector of the Nine Realms.”

“Oh,” Jane said in a small voice. “Well, I’m-”

“I know very well who you are, Jane Foster,” Odin interrupted.

“You told your dad about me?” Jane looked completely distracted as she turned back to Thor. Loki hid a smile. He could see why his brother had fallen for her.

“Something is within her, Father, that I have not seen before.”

“It doesn’t seem to be a disease,” Loki added. “The scan’s results-”

“Her world has its healers, they’re called doctors,” Odin said icily. Loki resisted the urge to step back, away from him. “Let them deal with it. Guards, take her back to Midgard!”

“No, I wouldn’t-” Thor started, when a guard roughly started to pull her up. A blood-red force rose from the point of contact and threw the guards across the room. Loki sucked in a breath. He knew what it was.

Thor was by her side immediately. He touched her arm tenderly. “Are you all right, Jane?”

She nodded tiredly. The All-father held his hand over her forearm, inspecting the glowing fluid substance beneath her skin. “That’s impossible,” he muttered.

“The old stories said that it was destroyed,” Loki said. He shared a look with Thor, who suddenly felt a chill settle in his bones.

“The infection,” Eir said, “It’s defending her.”

“No,” Thor said grimly. “It’s defending itself.”

“Come with me,” Odin said, and swept out of the room.

...

“There are relics that predate the universe itself. What lies within her appears to be one of them. The Nine Realms are not eternal. They had a dawn, and they will have a dusk.”

As Odin showed them an old book, Loki fidgeted uncomfortably. This sounded a lot like what he had learned during the two years he had been captured (tortured).

“But before that dawn, the dark forces, the Dark Elves, reigned absolute and unchallenged.”

“‘ _Born of eternal night, the Dark Elves come to steal away your light.’”_ Thor read aloud. “They were these stories Mother told us as children.”

“Sounds to me like they were demonizing the entire race like they did the Frost Giants,” Loki said. Thor nodded darkly. Jane frowned at the brothers, not understanding what they meant.

Odin ignored the comment. “Their leader, Malekith made a weapon out of that darkness, it was called the Aether. While the other relics often appeared as stones, the Aether is fluid and ever changing. It changes matter into dark matter and seeks out to host bodies, drawing strength from their life force. Malekith sought to use the Aether's power to return the universe to one of darkness. But after eternities of bloodshed, my father Bor, finally triumphed, ushering in the peace that lasted thousands of years.”

“What happened?” Jane asked, drawn into the tale.

“He killed them all.”

Jane cast an incredulous look at Thor. “Are you certain?” he asked. “The Aether was said to have been destroyed with them, and yet, here it is.”

Odin’s expression was hard. “The Dark Elves are dead,” he said. Loki didn’t believe it one whit. Jane had found the Aether, which was supposed to be a lost relic. Yet its power resounded in an oddly familiar way…

“Does your book happen to mention how to get it out of me?” Jane asked, worried now.

“No, it does not.” Odin left them alone.

Jane stared incredulously after him.

“We can delay the effects,” Loki said. “You can stay here in Asgard, of course. One of the guest chambers will be set aside for you. Right now, you need to rest. Until we can find a way to get it out of you, sleep is your best friend. I’ll talk to Eir and Sigyn, they might be able to help, now that we know what it is.”

“You sound like my doctor,” Jane grumbled.

Loki laughed. “That’s part of my job,” he said merrily. “In all seriousness, though, the alternative is much more unpleasant.”

Jane nodded. “Who are Eir and Sigyn?”

“You saw Eir earlier – she’s our best healer. Knows more than anyone about treating other races than Asgardians. She treated _me_ for a thousand years, so.”

“I thought you were Asgardian!”

Thor glanced at his brother, who didn’t seem offended by the question. It was strange, though they had spoken about his _jotun_ heritage, to think of him as _not_ Asgardian. Though he would always remain Aesir, Thor mused. Loki had been a part of Asgard’s society for nearly all his life, even if he was a _jotun_ by blood.

“I’m actually biologically a Frost Giant. Most of the differences between myself and Thor, I guess genetically, have been avoided – though I have no idea how. Now I physiologically resemble an Asgardian more than a _jotun_.”

“You basically rewrote your genetic code!”

Loki laughed. “Not really, I simply adapted a major part of it, though not all, to suit my Aesir lifestyle as I grew up. I still retain some of their characteristics.”

The astrophysicist looked giddy as she processed this information. “You mentioned another name earlier, Sigyn? Who’s she?”

“She’s my wife,” Loki said simply. “Princess and ambassador of Vanaheim, though now the realms are even more connected thanks to our marriage, and we have Hogun as well. Now, she’s the official archivist of Asgard.”

“That is incredibly awesome. So she’s like the chief librarian?”

“I suppose you could call it that, yes.”

“And is she still princess of Vanaheim? Or does the title go after marriage?”

Loki grinned. “She is still the princess of Vanaheim, and Asgard by marriage, and she will be the queen of the realm after her parents. I will become the king, nominally speaking, but she will hold a higher authority.”

“Cool,” Jane said.

“Indeed,” Loki agreed. “People are given opportunities regardless of their gender. And, this is more evident in the towns. The warriors tend to forget that women _choose_ not to fight in the army, and confuse it with inability to do so. You would not see that elsewhere.”

Jane hummed happily. “So you guys are all feminists,” she said.

“That’s right.”

“So when Sigyn becomes queen of Vanaheim, you’ll be… prince consort? I think I read that somewhere.”

“That is… a very good question. My position and powers over the people would be second to hers, though that is not the title we use. The same happened with her parents: her mother is the ruler of Vanaheim, and while her father holds the title of king, he is not the supreme monarch.” Seeing that Jane suddenly looked exhausted, he changed the topic brusquely. “Now, I’ll let Thor show you to your chambers.”

...

Thor decided to go to the marketplace the next day. When he descended from the steps, he was surprised to see Jane there. She was looking up at a children’s toy. A ball. He stopped and watched her for a minute. He smiled, thinking that her fascination for anything out of the ordinary made her so lively to be around.

It was one of the reasons he had fallen for her. His friends had tried to give him advice over the last six months, since they had returned from Midgard. He noticed a group of children waiting patiently by a column. They didn’t have the heart to ask her for it, he realised.

She looked up then and saw him walking over to her. “This thing is amazing,” she said, pointing at the ball. “I mean, the magnetic propulsion alone would advance our science by decades.’

The ball withdrew into its shell and fell to the ground. Jane caught it eagerly. Thor’s smile grew at her enthusiasm. “I am so taking this apart,” she said.

“Jane…”

She looked up at him intently.

“You have their ball,” he said, gesturing towards the children. Jane looked suddenly embarrassed and flustered. “Oh.” She threw the ball with an awkward smile towards the children, who caught it and ran to play with the rest of them.

Jane giggled, amused by the energy that children had that didn’t seem to change across other worlds. Thor pulled her closer to him, wrapping an arm around her. It seemed domestic, and it felt right. They had reached the palace borders, in a more scenic spot. They walked in silence for a while. She looked up at Thor.

“When you came for me, you knew I was in trouble.” It wasn’t a question.

“When Heimdall had lost sight of you, you were no longer on Earth.”

Jane was puzzled. “Well, how’s that possible?”

“Well,” Thor backtracked, “I believe you were and you weren’t. The Nine Realms travel within Yggdrasil, orbiting Midgard in much the way your planet orbits the sun. Every five thousand years the worlds align perfectly, we call this the Convergence.”

He aligned his hand perfectly with hers. “During this time, the borders between worlds become blurred,” he said, resting his palm against hers. “It’s possible that you found one of those points. We are lucky that they remained open.”

Jane frowned. Thor moved his hand slightly. “Once the worlds pass out of alignment, the connection is lost,” he explained.

The two of them interlaced their fingers. “I love the way you explain things,” Jane murmured. Then her expression grew serious. “What’s going to happen to me?”

“I’ll find a way to save you, Jane,” Thor assured her.

“Your father said there was-”

“My father doesn’t know everything,” Thor interrupted.

“Don’t let him hear you say that,” said a voice from inside the courtyard. His mother had come up to Thor and Jane.

“Jane, this is Frigga, the Queen of Asgard – my mother,” Thor introduced.

“Hi,” Jane said shyly.

“Jane Foster,” Frigga said, “Thor has told me a lot about you and your profession. I think it’s wonderful that you’re studying the universe in this extent.”

Jane relaxed. She could talk about space. “I mean, if studying space meant that someday, we humans could get to see something like this… it’s worth it.”

The two of them chatted about her line of work for a while. Jane found herself really liking the queen, who seemed to be genuinely interested in her rambles. They heard the sound of footsteps and turned to see Loki running towards them.

“Thor!” Loki exclaimed, slightly out of breath. “There’s been a riot in the cells.”

Thor turned on his heel and ran towards the cells. “Alert the guards,” he said. Loki nodded and spun smoothly on his heel, sprinting in the other direction. They stopped a moment later and frowned at Jane and Frigga. “Go,” she said firmly. “I’ll take her to my chambers.”


	12. Vortex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are going to hate me by the end of this chapter
> 
> Also, next week's chapter will go up on Saturday as usual

The first thing Thor heard as he entered the prison cells was Fandral yelling. “It’s as if they resent being imprisoned!” The young warrior shouted, shoving back an escaped prisoner.

Thor shot his friend an aggrieved look while holding back an angry Kree.

“There’s no pleasing some creatures,” Volstagg replied. Thor wondered if this was how Loki felt around them sometimes.

“Return to your cells and no further harm will come to you, you have my word,” Thor said calmly, with the slim hope that they may obey his order. He knew it was highly unlikely, but he could hope. One of the prisoners charged straight at him with a guttural yell. Thor hit him in the face, knocking him unconscious. He sighed as his hopes disappeared. “Very well, you do not have my word,” he grumbled.

...

“Send a squadron to the weapons vault. Defend it at all costs. Seal the dungeon,” Odin ordered his guards.

“Odin,” Frigga called.

“Frigga.” Odin turned back to the _einherjar_. “Go!” he barked. “It’s a skirmish, nothing to fear,” he said to Frigga.

“You’ve never been a very good liar,” the queen said dryly. Odin chose to ignore this comment.

“Take her to your chambers,” he said, nodding at Jane. “I’ll come for you when it’s safe.”

“You take care,” Frigga said, her gaze softening slightly.

“Despite all I have survived, my queen still worries over me,” Odin said, softening equally.

“It is only because I worry over you that you have survived,” Frigga replied smoothly. She led Jane away and pulled a sword out of a passing guard’s scabbard. “Listen to me,” she said in a low voice. “I need you to do everything I ask, no questions.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Jane said.

...

Loki slowed as he saw Heimdall take down the first ship from the windows. When the larger mothership loomed over the Bifrost, he cursed and sounded the alarms, calling the entire army to battle. He rallied his forces and joined the attack just as one of the ships crashed into the palace. He knew that Sigyn would be in the library, making a copy of the records as protocol had it. Loki summoned his armour and a pair of daggers into his hands. He wasn’t too keen on fighting, but the fighters, whoever they were, had made no effort to communicate. They were clearly hostile in their intentions.

Everyone was silent as they moved into formation. All the conflict had been eradicated throughout the Nine Realms. Masked creatures disembarked from the ship. When they came into the light, a hush fell over the Asgardians. _Dark elves?_

However, when the dark elves charged, all thoughts of a resurrected dead race were pushed to the back of their minds. One of them pulled out a device and flung it at the throne. The grand throne collapsed inwards into itself. The Asgardians were flabbergasted. No one alive knew the kind of technology that dark elves used.

That is, no one who hadn’t done their research. Loki was suddenly thankful that he had decided to pick the fall of Malekith as his latest research topic before he’d gotten side-tracked when he’d found out about his _jotun_ heritage. He stopped and stood still for a moment, as a horrible thought crossed him. He turned on his heel and ran, all the way to his mother’s chambers.

Maybe the attacks were simply a diversion. If the dark elves were alive, then their leader must have survived.

Maybe Malekith had returned for the Aether.

Which was inside Jane.

Who was with his mother.

He skidded to a stop outside the chambers. There were signs of a struggle. He caught sight of a limp figure on the floor and rushed in. His mother. Blood stained the front of her dress. Thor was standing at the windowsill, staring at her figure. For a few moments, he was confused about the scene, before the realisation hit him. All the air rushed out of his lungs. “No,” he said numbly.

It couldn’t be true. His mother was probably elsewhere with Jane, having cast the illusion. He reached out with his senses, trying to dispel the enchantment. Nothing happened. “No!” he exclaimed, and fell to his knees beside her. Thor knelt beside him. “Loki,” he said heavily.

“It can’t be true,” he said frantically. “It _can’t_.” He placed his fingers at a pulse point, hoping, silently begging the Norns... “ _Please_.”

Nothing.

He drew in a shuddering breath. His vision was clouded. He let Thor draw him close. It still didn’t seem real to him. He half expected her to walk out from behind the drapes, or enter the room holding her sword, fresh from battle. This couldn’t be true, he chanted in his mind. It couldn’t. He tried to speak, but all he could managed was a strangled half-scream, half-cry.

Thor was rubbing circles into his back, repeating his name soothingly, but he couldn’t be soothed. He had thought, after returning from Earth, that he had known pain, but it was nothing like this. He wondered if this was the Other’s punishment for failure to bring back the Tesseract. A sob hitched in his throat.

 _You will long for something as sweet as pain._ The words came unbidden to his mind, and brought along a fresh wave of tears. He was just glad that Thor was there with him right now. He was faintly aware that he was crying into Thor’s shirt, something he hadn’t done in centuries, but he didn’t care how pathetic it might have looked to anyone looking in.

He glanced up at some point, hearing a noise, and saw Odin take his mother’s limp form in his arms. That, more than anything, made it all real for him. He turned to Thor once more, shaking uncontrollably as he cried into his brother’s chest.

And just like that, the world was cast into shadow.

...

Loki closed the door to his chambers quietly. Sigyn stood anxiously. Her husband looked drained. “What happened? Someone said…”

Loki looked up at her. There was an immeasurable sadness in his eyes, which were red and bloodshot. “Malekith was tracking the Aether,” he began dully. “Jane is safe, as is the Aether. But Mother…”

Sigyn was stricken. “No,” she whispered. Loki closed his eyes and leaned back against the door frame.

‘The Queen of Asgard sacrificed her life for us,” he said tonelessly.

Frigga had been like a mother to Sigyn and to the rest of Asgard. Everyone had loved her. She crossed the room and pulled Loki away from the door. He didn’t resist. “I’m so sorry,” she said. If she had been there… no. She pushed away the guilt. She had been observing protocol and creating a copy of everything Asgard’s archives had to offer, in the event of the system crashing.

His eyes were shining with tears. “It’s just so hard to imagine,” he whispered. “I mean, just this morning she was fine, and talking with us, and now she’s…” he trailed off, unable to finish.

He swallowed, and pulled her close to him, and rested his head in the crook of her shoulder. She could feel him shuddering, and slowly wrapped her arms around him.

A darkness had fallen over the Realm, and it had nothing to do with the Aether.

...

The funeral took place just after night fell. As per the rituals, Frigga had been set inside a swan boat, which had been lavishly decorated with flowers. A sword lay within her grip, signifying that she had fallen in battle. The Queen’s boat would lead the rest. There had been many slain warriors that day.

The boat was set adrift onto the waters that surrounded Asgard. Odin stood in the front, and the rest of the royal family stood a bit to the side, all in robes of mourning. The guards handed Loki the ceremonial bow. He frowned at it. “She would want you to do it,” Odin said softly.

Loki nodded silently and took the bow and arrow. One of the guards lit the tip. He took aim and released the arrow. It didn’t miss its mark. The boat lit up and blazed with flames. Other arrows followed and lit the other boats.

Frigga’s boat was nearing the edge. Odin slammed his staff to the ground once, and _seidr_ rippled through the air. Even after it passed the line of water, the boat carried on in its path. Energy swirled from the burning swan boat into the skies above them. The Asgardians released spheres of light to honour the fallen. Soon, these drifted far enough to resemble stars. Energy flowed from the boat, silver dust that swirled through the air around the royal family, as though Frigga meant to reassure and comfort them one last time, before disappearing into the sky. The entire realm was silent, but a voice seemed to chant overhead – a mournful lament, and a prayer.

_I bid you take your place in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave shall live forever._

...

Jane had never felt more out of place than the day after the funeral. After a sleepless night, she had abandoned all attempts to rest and had gone to research about the Aether.

She threw a holographic stone above her and watched it expand. She had just about understood what the Aether could do. Seeing a cloaked figure enter, she turned. It was Thor. “You learn quickly,” he observed. She shrugged. Holograms had not reached the public, but she had a fair idea on how to use them after working with SHIELD last year.

 “When I don’t know what to do, I work.”

“Does it help?” Thor asked.

“Only sometimes,” she admitted. “Look, I’m sorry – if I hadn’t been here…”

Thor shook his head, confused. “Jane, this is not your doing.”

“She saved me,” Jane protested.

“She saved us all,” Thor corrected gently. “A thousand times.”

Jane was silent for a while, trying to look at it from that angle. “I don’t think anyone else sees it that way,” she said. “Your father, for one, and maybe your brother…”

“They don’t blame you.” Thor saw that she didn’t believe this and decided to change the topic. “What have you found?” he asked, nodding at the holograms.

“Uh… as far as I can understand, the Aether was designed to transform matter into dark matter. Malekith used it once before.” She held out her hand, and the interface glowed. “It says… he destroyed a whole planet.”

Thor frowned. “After all this time, why return now?”

“I’m not sure,” she conceded. “Well, your father didn’t tell us everything.” She called up a projection of the Aether. “Maybe he didn’t know,” she added hurriedly.

Thor frowned thoughtfully. “Or maybe he didn’t want us to know.”

“Jane Foster,” said a voice from the door. The two of them turned. “You need to come with us,” a guard said.

“What?” Thor asked.

“The All-Father has ordered her confined to her chambers.”

“She’s not going anywhere,” Thor snarled.

“These are the King’s orders,” the guard protested.

Thor stepped forward, but Jane pushed past him. “Wait. I don’t want anyone else hurt because of me." She bit her lip. The guards escorted her away, leaving him alone in the room.

...

“We must move Jane off-world,” Thor said. He was in a dark room, seated opposite his friends, who had agreed to help him carry out a plan to save the Nine Realms from Malekith. They all had come when he’d asked. Sif, Volstagg, Fandral, Heimdall, and Loki.

“The Bifrost has been shut down and the Tesseract locked away in a vault,” Sif pointed out.

“There are other paths off Asgard, known only to a few,” Heimdall said.

Loki looked up then, understanding what his brother was asking. “One, actually,” he corrected. Nobody knew that Sigyn also knew of the location of the paths. Only that she knew _of_ them.

“You said last year that the paths could close at any time,” Sif said.

“The Convergence is almost upon us. It’s only, what a few days from now?” Heimdall nodded, and he continued, “They should stay open till after it is over. And, besides, there are the other paths. The ones that are closely monitored.”

Sif seemed satisfied with the answer. “Fine. We have a way out, hopefully one which you know. What’s next?”

“Good question,” Fandral said. “Well, what then? Your lovely mortal is being guarded by a legion of _einherjar_ who will see you from miles away.”

“Not if we can’t be seen,” Thor said. Everyone frowned at him. “I meant, if they could turn invisible-”

“You want me to get Jane,” Loki said flatly, “Don’t you?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Fine,” Loki said. “I’ll do it.”

“And what of the All-Father?” Sif asked.

“It is my duty to notify him of crimes against the throne,” Heimdall said. “I can distract him.”

“So what do we do?” Sif asked.

“You and Volstagg have to clear a path to the dark elves’ ship that crashed inside the palace.”

“You know how to fly it?” Loki asked. It was either a terrible idea, or a really good one. Loki decided not to think about it too hard.

“How hard can it be?” Thor said breezily. “Fandral, I need you to get one of our skiffs. Below the Bifrost.”

“Of course.”

...

Jane glanced at the guard who had entered the room. “I’m not hungry,” she said, seeing the plate in his hand.

The guard closed the door behind him. A green light dispelled the illusion over him. Loki turned to look at her. “Then get ready,” he said to her. “We don’t have much time.”

Jane nodded. She was silent for a moment. “I’m sorry about your mom,” she said. “It was my fault.”

He sighed. “Thor told me you would say something like that. Believe me when I say it wasn’t.”

“She died trying to protect me,” Jane said miserably.

“No, Jane, she died protecting us all. If it weren’t for her, the Aether would be in Malekith’s hands now.” Loki tried something else. “Look, if you blame yourself for my mother’s death, then I should be blaming myself for the Chitauri invasion.”

Jane frowned. “How come?”

“I was under mind control, but I led SHIELD’s scientists – and Doctor Selvig – to working with the Tesseract to form a portal. People died because I started the invasion.”

“But that wasn’t your fault,” Jane said.

“Any more than this was yours.” Loki’s voice was gentle, but firm.

She stood. “So what do we do next?”

“We break out of Asgard.”

...

They crossed Sif on the way. She sighed, hearing the guards somewhere behind them. “Quickly,” she said. “I’ll hold them off for as long as I can.”

“Thanks,” Jane said. Sif nodded stiffly, but she seemed less cool towards Jane. Loki led her to the crashed ship. Once they were aboard the ship, Loki noticed that Thor was idly pressing buttons. He frowned over Thor’s shoulder. “I thought you said you knew how to fly this thing.”

“I said, ‘how hard could it be?’”

Outside, Volstagg called out a warning.

“Well, whatever you’re doing, brother, I suggest you do it faster.”

“Shut up, Loki,” Thor said irritably. He started hitting every button on the console. Loki winced. “You must have missed something.”

“No, I didn’t, I’m pressing every button on this thing.”

“Don’t hit it, just press it gently.”

“I _am_ pressing it gently,” Thor growled, now punching the controls furiously. “It’s – not – working!”

Suddenly, the ship’s engine started, and a reading of the surroundings appeared around them. Thor chuckled. “I’ve got this,” he said. He turned the controls, and the ship rose, promptly smashing into every column around them.

“I think you missed a column,” Loki said dryly, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall.

“Shut up!”

Finally, Thor got used to the controls. The ship broke through the palace walls and flew out into the open.

“Look, why don’t you let me take over, I’m clearly the better pilot,” Loki said.

“Is that right?” Thor asked. “Well, out of the two of us, which one can actually fly?”

They zipped over the city in silence for a while. Apparently none of the guards had noticed them. Jane swayed and collapsed suddenly. Loki caught her before she fell, gently lowering her to the floor. “Jane, are you all right?” Thor asked.

“I’m okay,” she said faintly.

“Get some rest,” Loki said. He tried for some humour. “Also, if this is because of Thor’s flying, I really don’t blame you.”

Jane smiled weakly. The ship swerved suddenly, breaking off a part of a massive structure. Loki smirked.

“Not a word,” Thor warned.

Loki caught sight of something behind them. Several ships were now in pursuit. “Now they’re following us,” he called. Thor didn’t reply, but swerved to the side. Loki stumbled, catching himself on a handrail above him. The ships started shooting at them. “Now they’re firing at us!”

“Yeah, thank you for the commentary, Loki, it’s not at all distracting,” Thor snapped. Just then, they passed a giant stone statue of Odin’s father, Bor. The head broke off when the ship hit it and fell to the ground.

“Well done,” Loki said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “You just decapitated your grandfather. Now, consider this: out of the two of us, which one can actually fly a ship without killing everyone inside it?”

“Perhaps you should take the controls,” Thor admitted, and passed it to his brother. Loki’s eyes flew about the readings and it took him a moment to translate them. “Okay,” he muttered. “Now I’ll show you how to fly.”

The ship put on a burst of speed as he rested his hands on the controls. He expertly navigated them through Asgard’s various monuments, dodging lasers. As they neared the Bifrost, he called, “Keep an eye out for Fandral.”

Thor nodded. A few minutes later, he cried out an affirmative.

“Good,” Loki said. “Now take Jane and go. I can reprogram this to follow another course as a distraction.”

Thor nodded and picked her up. She barely stirred. Thor leaped from the ship. Loki reprogrammed the flight path and jumped off the ship and onto Fandral’s.

“Good to see you,” he said, straightening from his crouch.

“And you. I trust you had an uneventful flight?” Fandral stepped aside from the single navigating panel, which consisted of a steering handle.

“Are you joking? Thor crashed into at least three bridges on our way here.”

“Yes,” Fandral crowed softly. “Volstagg owes me a drink.”

“If you two are done,” Thor said. “Loki?”

“Right.”

He took his position next to the handle but ducked when he noticed laser fire. He pulled the fighter ship up quickly. “Fandral,” Thor called.

“Right,” Fandral said. He grabbed a long rope. “For Asgard,” he said, and swung onto the ship behind theirs. There were sounds of a scuffle, then silence. Loki sped up the ship and led them to the portal, which was located in a crevice inside the mountain range.

“Loki!” Thor exclaimed. He sounded nervous.

“If it were easy,” he said distractedly, “anyone would do it.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Positive.”

Thor bent low over Jane, wrapping a protective arm around her. The ship barely made it through the crack. The tail wings sparked as they scraped against the sides. Suddenly, they emerged in Svartalfheim.

Loki couldn’t resist. “Ta-da!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry! *ducks out of the way*
> 
> EDIT 21/12/18: I've written an alternate version of this chapter posted [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17094404), it's called Deliverance


	13. Convergence

Loki and Thor inspected the tail wings of the ship. “Damaged,” Loki said, “but not beyond repair.”

“Can we fly without fixing them?”

“Sure, and we could crash into a mountain range while we’re at it.”

The two of them worked together and fixed the wings as best as they could. Loki hissed as a sparks showered from the primary navigation systems, connected to the handle inside the ship onto his hands. He healed slower from burns, as a side effect of being a _jotun_. After about a quarter of an hour, they stepped back to admire their handiwork. “I guess that’ll do,” Loki said with a shrug. “We’ll just fly straight ahead till Jane senses Malekith.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Aether was tailored to fit this form by Malekith. It bears his signature.” Loki hesitated for a moment while they started up the ship. “It is one of the six Infinity Stones.”

“The name seems familiar,” Thor said.

“The Infinity Stones were created along with the universe. They each hold an element of the universe. There’s Space, Time, Reality, Mind, Power and Soul stones. So far we’ve seen three.”

“We have?”

Loki nodded. “The Tesseract is a shell for the Space Stone, and the sceptre held the Mind Stone. And now the Aether… that’s the Reality Stone.”

“So how is it liquid?”

“As I said earlier, Malekith changed its form somehow. The texts in the archives are unclear. Sigyn and I looked all over for records of the process, but we couldn’t find any. He reshaped it such that it would seek out hosts. And, well, we already know how it works.”

The two of them fell silent. “After this is finished,” Thor said, “I don’t know what to do.”

Loki shrugged, knowing what he meant. “Do what your heart tells you to,” he said.

“I’m not entirely sure if I know what it is saying.”

“I think I do,” Loki said, leaning forward. “Look, I can see how happy Jane makes you. If a few days could cheer you up so much, you should be with her. But you should tell her first. About the age differences.”

“That’s what I’m afraid about,” Thor said. “Losing her, and having to live without her after she’s gone.”

“Thor, that uncertainty exists with all of us. True, she’s mortal, but we are a warrior race. I can only imagine that she feels the same.”

“How come?”

Loki looked at him incredulously. “You’re kidding, right? You’re an Avenger, who fought off an invasion on Earth. You are ready to give your life for the Nine Realms. From what you told me about Earth, two years ago, you already have. So far, she’s seen you in three different battles, each time ready to sacrifice yourself so that others can live. You should talk to her about your fears too.”

Thor sighed deeply. “Thank you for your advice.”

“Another thing,” Loki said, “Your idea about handing Jane over… I don’t think they are going to appreciate either of us there as we are. As in, I don’t think they’ll treat a pair of Asgardians kindly.”

“No, you’re right,” Thor said. “You’re going as a Frost Giant.”

“ _What?_ ”

Jane stirred, and the brothers fell silent. She opened her eyes. Her sclera had gone black, and her iris was a pale ring swallowed by the pupil. Thor shivered. “Malekith,” she muttered. She directed them to a cliff face near Malekith’s ship. Loki parked the skiff there. The three of them crouched behind a rock, unseen.

“Are you ready?” Thor asked Jane. She nodded. Thor glanced at Loki, who nodded as well. He summoned the Casket’s power, taking on the appearance of a _jotun._ It wasn’t so bad, everything just felt… hotter.

The two of them stood.

“You know this plan of yours is going to get us killed, right?” he asked. Thor shrugged noncommittally. As they had planned, Loki carefully wrapped an illusion around Thor, before ‘stabbing’ and shoving him down into the valley. “Did you really think I cared about Frigga, about any of you?” he snarled, channelling his grief into the words to hopefully make them convincing. Behind him, he heard Jane cry out and stumble down the hill. He tried to maintain his balance and footing on the unstable surface, reaching the base of the hill. He kicked at Thor, shouting, “All I wanted was you and Odin dead at my feet!”

Thor slowly raised his arm in an attempt to summon Mjolnir. As the hammer flew in their direction, Loki seemingly cut off Thor’s hand at his wrist. He took care to modify the illusion to look like Thor was badly beaten up and had a severed hand. Thor, meanwhile, rolled over with an ear-splitting roar of pain. Loki stepped out from the path of the hammer. It crashed into the ground behind them.

Jane rushed towards him, and Loki grabbed her, leading her to the dark elves. “Malekith!” he shouted. “I am Loki of Jotunheim, and I bring you a gift.” He threw her at Malekith’s feet. Malekith looked perplexed. “The only thing I ask in return is a seat from which to watch Asgard burn.”

The giant figure next to Malekith muttered something in a language he didn’t understand at first, but recognised from one of his old lessons.

“ _The Frost Giants were an enemy of Asgard. There were some in the cells. This one must have escaped.”_

Malekith nodded and walked towards Thor slowly. “Look at me,” he said. He nudged Thor with his foot so that he could see Jane as she was lifted into the air. They all watched as the Aether flowed out of her.

 

_Darkness rushed in to cover the Earth. It took the rest of the system, including the sun, then spread to the rest of the Nine Realms, poisoning the branches of Yggdrasil. It plunged the universe into blackness, destroying all life – except the dark elves._

 

Jane fell to the ground. Thor glanced at his brother. “Loki, now!” he grunted. Loki dispelled the careful illusion he had created. In a flash of green light, Thor’s appearance changed. His injuries disappeared, and his hand grew from the stump. Thor raised his arm, calling Mjolnir to him. Loki took the cue and threw himself at Jane, covering her completely. It was unlikely that Thor could actually destroy the Aether, but Mjolnir was a powerful weapon. He could try.

Thor raised the hammer, summoning a large bolt of lightning, and directed it at the Aether. For a moment, Svartalfheim lit up, and the Aether blew apart. A shock wave sent all those standing to the ground. Loki could sense that something was wrong. When the dust cloud cleared, he eyed the shards of the Aether suspiciously, still not moving. They hovered in midair for a few moments, before floating towards Malekith, whose arms were outstretched.

The Aether rushed into him. Malekith took a step back from the force of it. Once it fully entered him, he opened his eyes. They had gone fully black, including his irises. Loki got up slowly, signalling for Jane to move out of harm’s way after giving her one of his spare daggers. She could defend herself, if it came to that, but she wasn’t a trained warrior.

The dark elves charged, and he fought back, brutally hacking at them with his dagger. He showed no mercy as he sliced one of their throats, and stabbed another through the heart. One of them tried to pull out one of the vortex devices and throw it at him. A split second later, Loki’s dagger lodged itself in a chink in the dark elf’s armour.

Loki picked up the device, which he decided to call a vortex bomb, and pocketed it. It could be of use later, when they tried to reclaim the Aether, or kill Malekith. Whichever came first. He glanced at the hill, where he had last seen Thor, and shook his head. His brother was confronting the Kursed. He ran uphill, snatching up one of the dark elves’ blasters. He skidded to a halt a few feet away from them, and started firing. The lasers weren’t too effective, but they got the creature’s attention.

He quickly cast an illusion to look like he was slowly backing away while still firing, and used it to sneak up behind the Kursed. Luckily for him, the blaster also had a blade attached to the front. He stabbed through the rock-like armour completely and, for good measure, fired thrice. He left the weapon where it was and stepped around the Kursed, ducking out of his grip.

Something started beeping at its waist. “Have fun in Hel, monster,” Loki said, as the Kursed grabbed at it frantically.

A shower of light exploded around the weapon, and it collapsed in on itself, drawing the Kursed with it. Loki stepped back from the attraction around the creature. “I guess all weapons are fixed with vortex self-destruct commands,” he said with a frown.

He turned to Thor, who was staring at him from the ground. “That was a bit much, don’t you think?” he asked, once Loki pulled him up to his feet. “Stabbing _and_ shooting him?”

“Come on. That was what they had it for.”

Thor shook his head with a slight wince. “Well, now Malekith’s gotten away. What do we do next?”

Jane walked up towards them. She went straight to Thor and hugged him. Loki gazed towards the horizon. “We try to find him.”

“He could be anywhere in the Nine Realms right now,” Thor said, after Jane released him.

“No,” Jane said. “When the Aether was leaving me, I saw... Earth.”

“You saw what he was planning to do,” Loki said. Jane nodded. “He’s going to unleash it, not just on Asgard, or some star. Malekith is going to destroy everything. But… why would he be on Earth?”

Loki looked at Thor sharply. He understood what this meant. He could see that Thor did, too. “The Convergence,” Thor said. Midgard was the nexus of Yggdrasil, which was why most of its branches led there. Loki and Sigyn had accidentally landed there multiple times while trying to find other realms.

“Oh, God,” Jane said, catching up almost immediately. “None of this would have happened if I hadn’t found the Aether,” she said.

“Then Malekith would only have possessed it sooner.”

“Jane, you weren’t looking for the Aether. You were simply investigating a natural phenomenon that hadn’t been observed scientifically before,” Loki added. “One that lay in your field of study. You were just doing your job.”

Jane accepted this with a nod. It was time to lay the self-blame aside. “So, how do we get out of here?” she asked.

Loki raised an eyebrow. “You have me.”

...

The trio neared a cave about half an hour later. “There’s an entrance here, but I don’t know where it leads,” Loki said.

“You said you could get us out of here,” Thor said with a frown.

“Yes, I did, but I don’t know where. This isn’t one of the b- paths I know.”

Thor snorted as they entered the cave. Suddenly, they heard music playing. They stared at each other. “It’s not me,” Thor said. Loki raised an eyebrow incredulously. The music was _clearly_ from Midgard.

Jane fished around in her jacket pocket and pulled out her phone. “Hello?” she said, answering the call. They could hear a voice replying.

“ _Richard?_ Where are you?”

After a few moments, she said, “Oh my God, this is amazing.” A beat, then, “How am I getting service here?”

She held the phone out and walked deeper into the cave.

The voice said something else, and Jane replied, “No, no, no, no, no, please, whatever you do, do _not_ hang up the phone.”

She was scanning the floor distractedly. Loki glanced at it and frowned. There was an odd number of shoes, drink cans and other items on the ground. Suddenly he got it. The entrance led to Earth. He looked up at Jane inquiringly. She nodded eagerly, shaking a set of keys she had picked up.

“Come on,” she said, ignoring the phone completely as it lost signal. They followed her. “Jane, where are we going?” Thor asked. He tripped over a shoe. “Why are there so many shoes here?”

They passed through the entrance, and the world around them darkened and rippled as they emerged at the other side. A car was parked in front of them. It looked like it hadn’t been touched for days. “So, who’s Richard?” Thor asked casually as they got into the car.

“Really?” Jane started the vehicle. The engine rumbled into life, and they were on their way.

...

“Jane!” yelled a high voice from inside the apartment. “You can’t just _leave_ like that, the whole world is going crazy!”

The brothers entered the house. Thor hung his hammer on the coat-rack.

“All the stuff we saw is spreading,” said the earlier voice. A woman, who was hugging Jane. She swept a gaze over Jane’s dress and dishevelled state. “Did you go to a party?”

Jane, however, was distracted by someone else. “ _Erik_?”

Erik Selvig looked up from the desk. “Jane, how wonderful!” He rose and went up to hug Jane as well. “You’ve been to Asgard,” he said.

“Where are your pants?” Jane asked, confused.

Someone else popped his head through the door. “Oh, uh, he says it helps him think.”

Jane nodded absently. “Okay, I’m gonna need everything you’ve got on this. All the work you’ve been doing on the gravimetric anomalies. Everything.”

“Okay,” Doctor Selvig said with a nod. Then he noticed the two Asgardians. “Thor, Loki,” he greeted. “Good to see you both.”

“Are you well, Erik?” Thor asked.

Erik shrugged. Loki understood what he meant. “I apologise for last year,” he said awkwardly. Erik gestured vaguely. “It’s in the past, especially after you said the same thing sixteen times before you left.”

“All the same, it wasn’t right.”

Thor was talking to the other lady in the room. He turned to face Loki. “I understand that the two of you haven’t met,” he said. “Loki, this is Darcy. Darcy, this is my brother, Loki.”

“Hi, I, uh, saw you last year. On TV,” she said. “I’m Jane’s intern, by the way. Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Loki said with a formal bow.

“Are all you guys this tall?” she asked.

“Mostly, yes,” Loki said.

“Cool.”

“Malekith is going to fire the Aether at a spot where all the nine worlds are connected,” Jane interrupted.

“Amplifying the weapon’s impact,” Erik said. “With each additional world, the power would increase exponentially. The effect would be universal.”

“The alignment is only temporary,” Thor said. “He must be in exactly the right place at the right time.”

“Well, how do we know where that is?” Darcy asked.

“We follow the directions,” Erik said, pushing off all the things on the desk. “This happened before, thousands of years ago – I assume you both know,” he said to Thor and Loki.

“600 AD,” Loki said immediately.

“How come you know?” Thor asked. “The texts never said.”

“It was a simple enough calculation,” Loki said with a shrug. “It was the classic period for the Mayans, I think.”

Darcy glanced up thoughtfully. “You know Earth history?”

“Well, yes. Among other things.”

“Anyway, the ancients were there to see it,” Erik said. “All the great constructions: the Mayans, the Chinese, the Egyptians, they made use of the gravitational effects of the Convergence. And they left us a map.”

He pulled out a map of the British Isles and started marking points. “Stonehenge, Snowdon, the Great Orme…” he drew lines, connecting the points. “These are all coordinates taking us… here.” He pointed at the point of intersection.

“Greenwich,” Ian read. He sounded surprised.

“The walls between worlds will be almost non-existent,” Jane said. “Physics is gonna go ballistic.  Increase and decrease in gravity, spatial extrusions.”

She paused. “The very fabric of reality is going to be torn apart.”

Mjolnir flew into Thor’s hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a few liberties about the Convergence and Heimdall's age. So when Heimdall says that the last time it happened was before his watch began, he means it to have happened some few hundred years before the first Aesir-Jotun war (aka sometime in the 960s)
> 
> I headcanon that Heimdall became the Gatekeeper sometime before Hela was banished, so he only knew about how bloodthirsty she had become (this will be relevant later in the fic), and not so much about Odin's conquests.
> 
> Here's the rough timeline: The Svartalf-Aesir war (i.e. the fall of Malekith) happens about 5000 years ago, and the Convergence took place just about then. Then came Odin and Hela's conquests, roughly 3000 years later (when Hela was 1000 years plus). Then Odin and Frigga decide to settle down when they have Thor, and Heimdall gets his post right about that time. Hela goes on a rampage and the Frost Giants are planning their attack while Asgard is distracted, and she's defeated some three or four years before Loki and Thor are born.
> 
> Fast forward to Loki's birth, which coincides with the Aesir-Jotun war, and then the timeline becomes clearer.
> 
> Also, the Convergence that happened when Malekith tried to use the Aether was not the last one to happen before this one - there were about three of those which happened in between. Think of those as partial eclipses, and every 5000 years, there's a total eclipse.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	14. Legacy

They decided that Darcy and Ian would pair up to fix the spikes at the specified points. Thor and Loki were to help as well, while Jane and Erik would try to get the civilians out. Loki was surprised to see a shadow fall over them as he held a spike steady for Thor to hammer into the ground, before the cloaking technology melted away to reveal Malekith's ship.

“Distract him!” he called to Thor, and raced towards Darcy and Ian, barely pulling them out of the way of the ship. Sparks flew as it crashed through the grounds of the library and lodged itself in the middle of the yard. Loki swore as some of the sparks landed on his cape and stomped out the small flames that sprouted from it. Malekith descended from the ship and looked around himself. Thor landed just then, right in front of the dark elf.

“You needn’t have come so far, Asgardian,” Malekith said. “Death would have come to you soon enough.”

“Not by your hand!” Thor yelled.

“Your universe was never meant to be. Your world and your family will be extinguished!” The Aether exploded towards him, but Thor moved out of the way in time.

“You know, with all that power, I thought you’d hit harder,” Thor taunted.

Malekith roared, summoning the power of the Aether once more, but Thor caught him by surprise, flinging Mjolnir at him. It hit him square in the chest and threw him back. Meanwhile, Loki, Darcy and Ian fixed the last of the spikes into the ground. “Done,” Ian said.

Darcy signalled towards Jane. “Now we need to take cover.”

They watched from behind a building as some of the dark elves suddenly disappeared. Darcy whooped. “That is  _awesome!_ How did you do that?”

 Loki could hear Jane say something as he moved away cautiously, but Darcy interrupted, “Oh, get the guy with the sword!”

He turned just in time to see Darcy and Ian vanish instead of the dark elf. Just then, he caught sight of Thor and Malekith fall through the ground as they grappled. A wave of power rippled through him. He’d sensed it before they’d left Asgard, but it seemed more active now.

A few moments later, Malekith returned, but without Thor. Loki ran up to Jane, who said, “We’re out of time.”

“The Convergence is at its peak,” Erik said. He was adjusting the readings on his device. Suddenly, an idea came to Loki. “Can those things stop him?” he asked.

“Not from here.”

“We can’t get close enough,” Jane said.

“We don’t have to,” Loki said, taking the spikes. He sprinted as close as he could, in order to see Malekith, and shifted one of the spikes into his right hand. He kept his breathing regular, positioning himself carefully, letting years of training take over.  _Just like javelin throwing, Loki,_  he told himself. While daggers were his preferred weapons, he was equally adept with staffs, javelins, and swords. He didn't advertise the fact, but he was also good with a battle-axe, mace, and (unfortunately) a war-hammer. His training had also covered archery with longbows and crossbows, but he found them all to be impractical. Though, his training proved to be a blessing multiple times, especially now.

When he saw an opening, he hurled the spike with all his might at him. The spike lodged itself in Malekith’s shoulder. Loki moved back as his arm disappeared, out of Malekith’s line of sight. He’d need to infuse his throwing arm with his  _seidr_  if he wanted it to make more of an impact.

Thor came running up to him just then. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” he said, taking careful aim again and letting his magic course through him, strengthening him. The second spike sailed through the air and ran through Malekith’s chest – not enough to kill him, but enough to distract him.  Jane turned the controls and caused the dark elf’s left arm (and part of his torso) to disappear as well. Loki turned to Thor, already moving out of the way.

“We’ll have to be there if we mean to transport him completely,” Loki said. Thor took the spike from him. “Leave that to me,” Thor said.

He somehow found his way to the eye of the storm. “Darkness returns, Asgardian,” Malekith said menacingly. “You cannot stop it. The Aether cannot be destroyed.”

“No,” Thor agreed, “But you can.”

He charged towards the dark elf, summoning Mjolnir and all its power towards him, using the energy to drive the spike through Malekith’s chest.

Jane turned the controls. A blast of energy knocked Thor to the ground. He was unconscious. Malekith was gone. The giant ship started to crumble, and Loki darted towards his brother, carrying him out of the way. However, the ship didn’t fall to the ground, as they had thought. It fell through another portal – the final one.

Loki set Thor down. Jane scrambled to his side immediately, listening for a heartbeat. Thor opened his eyes slowly, blinking. They let out a sigh of relief, and Jane pulled Thor close.

The Aether hovered in the air, searching for a host, but Loki knew what to do. He pulled out a small cube he had salvaged from the Vaults just before leaving, and raised it to the Aether. The red fluid poured into the cube, sending Loki crashing to his knees. As the last of it was inside, Loki wrenched it shut and cast several enchantments to keep it from breaking out.

The universe had been saved.

...

“The Alignment has brought all the worlds together,” Loki told Thor once they were back on Asgard. They were on their way to talk to Odin. “Every one of them saw you offer your life to save them.  _Again._ ”

Thor shook his head. “They saw  _us_ ,” he corrected. “You were the one who trapped the Aether in that box.”

The door opened before Loki could reply. The throne had been rebuilt. They strode down the length of the throne room to stand before the King.

After a preliminary speech (that Loki almost completely tuned out), Odin said, “What can Asgard offer its future king in return?”

Thor considered. “My life,” he said. “Father, I cannot be king of Asgard. I will protect all the Nine Realms with my last and every breath, but I cannot do so from that chair.” He turned to Loki. “You know what it’s like. You understand rule as I never will. The brutality, the sacrifice… it changes you. I’d rather be a good man than a great king,” he finished.

“Somehow I expected this,” Loki said, clapping a hand on Thor’s shoulder. “Is this my brother I hear, or the woman he loves?”

 “When you speak, do I never hear Sigyn’s or Mother’s voice?” Thor replied softly. Loki sighed. The loss weighed heavily on all of them.

“This is not for Jane, Father,” Thor said, turning to the sceptical king. “She does not know what I came here to say. Now forbid me to see her or say she can rule at my side, it changes nothing.”

Odin nodded. “I know that I cannot change your mind,” he said. He turned to Loki. “My son, you too put your life on the line to save the rest of the universe. Will you take the throne of Asgard?”

Loki looked troubled. “In another life,” he said slowly, “I wouldn’t have hesitated to say yes. Even now, under different circumstances, I might have agreed. But…” he sighed. “I know I’m not ready. I wouldn’t be able to rule impartially, not now. I’m content with my position for the moment. Studying enchantments, healing, and defending the Nine Realms.” He neglected to mention his newfound powers, and how he’d have to learn once more the extents of his magic. He couldn’t do that and rule at once.

Odin nodded. “One day, one of you will have to make that choice,” he said solemnly. “But, for now, go.”

...

It had been a week since the battle against the dark elves. They were slowly rebuilding the structures. The Bifrost had been damaged in the battle again, when one of the ships had crashed, so it was the primary focus. Loki had been working for long hours, tending to the wounded. He had managed to save most of the warriors. Those who had died had been cremated with the fallen warriors.

Loki pulled out the device he had taken from the dark elves. He would have to examine its workings, and see if he could synchronise many of the devices together. He decided to conduct a line of experiments, with Sigyn’s help. Loki set aside the vortex bomb, turning his attention to his wife, who had entered just then.

Sigyn joined him where he sat next to the window, taking his extended hand. The two of them were silent for a while, simply enjoying each other’s presence. “So, has Thor gone to Earth?” she asked.

Loki nodded. “He’s going to talk things out with Jane. All we can do is hope for the best.”

“As always,” Sigyn said. “I assume we have something else to discuss?”

“Yes, we do, actually,” Loki said, turning to face her. “I feel…” he sighed and rubbed his eyes. “It’s like there’s some part of me that was carved out. Ever since the Convergence, I feel hollow. And yet, my powers are stronger than they used to be.”

Sigyn bit her lip and watched him thoughtfully. She ran over a list of options and found a theory that made the most sense. Her heart sank as she realised how likely it was. “Loki, you – your mother shared an empathic link with you, didn’t she?”

“She did,” Loki agreed with a frown. “What does that- oh.” His expression fell, and he rested his head in his hands. “ _Oh._ ” The shattered link must have transferred all her magic to him.

Sigyn sighed and sat next to her husband. She too felt Frigga’s absence like a dagger in the heart. The queen had been a second mother to her. “Darling…”

“I miss her so much,” Loki said in a small voice.

“I know,” she said heavily. “I miss her too.”

He closed his eyes and leaned against her. “It’s not the same. My  _seidr_  was enhanced, so my powers are more… well, I can do things that only  _jotuns_  can do, actually. Things I could not do before…”

Sigyn waited. Loki was silent for a minute, before he continued, “I am not more  _powerful_ , but I am more…  _jotun_ , than I was before I fell. Though my situation has not changed. I can shapeshift again. I lost that ability when I turned a hundred and fifty. It felt like the loss of a limb.”

Sigyn knew what was coming. “And this feels like your heart was ripped out,” she said in a low voice.

Loki made a sound that was halfway between a sob and a strangled gasp. Sigyn stroked his back. “I just want her back,” he whispered, turning to face the stars.

Sigyn blinked back tears and did her best to ease their suffering.

...

_ {Two years later} _

Thor closed the door as he entered his brother’s chambers. “You asked me to come,” he called. Loki looked up from the spellbook he held. “Yes, I did,” he said, setting the book on a nearby table.

“What’s that?” Thor gestured towards the main table, which was, Loki had to admit, somewhat cluttered as opposed to his usual neat surroundings.

“Dark elf technology,” Loki said, casting a look over the vortex bombs. “I’m trying to mimic the workings with our own materials, and I think I just got it right.” He’d enlisted the help of Asgard’s finest engineers, since he was more well-versed in healing and the arts. Thor could have helped as well, but he was more learned in other sciences than mechanics.

Thor nodded. “I take it that’s not why you called me here?”

“Oh, no, not at all,” Loki said. “I got a call, actually.”

Thor blinked. Loki backtracked. “Remember I told you that we’d need a way to talk to the rest of the Avengers?”

Thor nodded. “So you bought a Midgardian phone,” he guessed. Loki snorted. “No way,” he said. “Those things are practically ancient. I modified some of our technology to accept telecommunication waves from Midgard.”

“That makes more sense,” Thor said. “So, who called you?”

“Stark. He said that they found the sceptre. Apparently they’ve been looking for it.”

“That is…”

“Unexpected? Definitely.” Loki was silent for a few moments, waiting for an answer. “Well? When do we start?”

“Oh, right away,” Thor said with a smile, “And you should get the, uh, what did you call it again?”

“A vortex bomb,” Loki said with a shrug. “I didn’t know what else to call it.”

“Right. You should get the vortex bomb to Earth. Maybe Stark can help you figure it out.”

Loki blinked. “That’s… yeah, I think I will,” he said.

“Excellent,” Thor said, and strode out of the chambers, calling back, “We leave in two hours.”

Loki muttered some colourful suggestions that Thor couldn’t quite catch, before the door swung shut between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't so sure about this chapter, but it brings a close to the TDW arc.  
> You guys, I am SUPER excited to post the next chapter because it covers Age of Ultron and that's one of my favourite sections in this story  
> Small note: if I don't update on schedule next week, I'm really sorry, because I have exams coming up. That being said, I'm definitely going to try my best.


	15. Rise Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit (26/11/18): Okay, I forgot to do this when I was posting the chapter but-  
> WARNING for semi-graphic depictions of violence when Tony touches the sceptre. If you wish to skip that bit, you can go the next scene (after the '...') after he says the line 'Thor, Loki, I got eyes on the prize.'

“Report to your stations immediately. This is not a drill. We are under attack, repeat, we are under attack.”

The announcement was audible over the sound of the Avengers fighting a group of HYDRA agents for access to the base. Clint fired arrows from the open roof of a jeep while Natasha was driving (and doing her best to run over any HYDRA agent that crossed). Thor leaped into the air and landed on a small structure, pummelling some of the soldiers. He hurled Mjolnir across the clearing.

Tony Stark flew overhead, firing repulsor blasts at the soldiers. Thor jumped down and fought his way through a few more of them. Steve revved his bike and drove through the forest. He flung the shield at a hidden agent, angling it carefully so that it would maximise impact by ricocheting off various other trees and people. He caught hold of it and slung it on his back.

He swerved when a tank came into view. It was firing at the other tanks, seemingly gone rogue. It nearly took out the side of their armoured jeep and Tony’s suit as he flew by. “Sorry!” Loki called from inside. “I’m still getting the hang of the controls!”

The Hulk was tearing apart many other tanks with his bare hands. Loki leaped out his own before the Hulk crashed into it. The scene was reminiscent of the time the Hulk had nearly thrown him out of his Chitauri ship in New York a few years ago. He rolled as he hit the ground and used the momentum to throw a dagger at one of the HYDRA agents. It struck home, and the agent fell to the ground, lifeless.

Tony flew over them, moving towards the HYDRA base. He dodged laser fire as he neared, but bounced off the shields. He swore, forgetting that the communications were turned on.

“Language,” Steve said absently. “JARVIS, what’s the view from upstairs?”

“The central building is protected by some kind of… energy shield. Strucker’s technology is well beyond any other HYDRA base we’ve taken,” JARVIS replied, scanning the layout.

Thor fought off five agents at once. “Loki’s sceptre must be here,” he said, summoning Mjolnir to him and ignoring Loki’s protests of in not being _his_ sceptre. “Strucker couldn’t mount his defence without it.” He paused, moving out of the way of the hammer as it crashed into an agent’s face. “At long last,” he said, as though nothing had happened.

Natasha dodged fire as she ran. She tossed a grenade into a tank, causing it to explode as she skidded aside, punching a HYDRA agent in the face. “‘At long last’ is lasting a little long, boys,” she said. She vaulted over the agent, kicking two other agents down in a single smooth move. She rolled away from gunfire and shot down a fourth agent, getting to her feet.

Clint fired an arrow from behind a tree. A tank exploded in the distance. “Yeah,” he said. “I think we’ve lost the element of surprise.”

Tony flew past a posse of guards. “Wait a second, no one else is going to deal with the fact that Cap just said ‘language’?”

Steve sighed. Across the communication system, it sounded like a burst of static. “I know,” he said resignedly, coming face to face with two soldiers. He somersaulted off the bike, using his leverage to hurl it at the soldiers. He got to his feet and continued, “Just slipped out.”

“Sir, the city is taking fire,” JARVIS said as Tony weaved through gunfire.

“Well, we know that Strucker’s not going to worry about civilian casualties,” Tony muttered. “Send in the Iron Legion.”

Elsewhere in the forest, Natasha and Clint were taking down the rest of the armed hordes. Clint stood behind a tree for cover, taking careful aim. He let the arrow loose, but it didn’t hit the tank he was aiming for. A sudden blur passed in front, leaving a hazy trail behind. He frowned.

He aimed once more, but before he could fire, the blur knocked him to the ground. He stared up at a blond man, who said, “You didn’t see that coming?” and took off again.

Clint slowly got to his feet, forgetting the immediate danger around him. Before he regained his bearings, he felt a burning sensation in his side. He fell to the ground with a pained cry. Natasha heard the sound and whirled to look at him, confirming what she had already deduced. Clint had been shot. She ran towards him. Steve’s voice crackled through the earpieces they wore. “We have an Enhanced in the field,” he said.

“Clint’s hit!” Natasha yelled into her earpiece, skidding to a stop next to him. “Somebody want to deal with that bunker?” The Hulk promptly smashed it into pieces. “Thank you.” Natasha eyed the wound carefully. “Loki, I need you here. It looks serious.”

“I’m on my way,” he said. Natasha pressed a clean cloth to the injured area. Clint groaned, and she gently held him down as he shifted.

“Stark, we really need to get inside,” Steve said.

“I’m closing in,” Tony replied. “JARVIS… am I closing in? Do you see a power source for that shield?”

“There’s a particle wave below the north tower.”

“Great, I wanna poke it with something.” He shot the weak link down. The shield dropped instantly. “Drawbridge is down, people,” he announced.

Steve called the shield to him with magnetic clamps that had been attached to his wrist. Thor touched down next to him, frying a few agents. “The Enhanced?” he asked.

“He’s a blur,” Steve said. “All the players we’ve faced, I’ve never seen this. In fact, I still haven’t.”

“Clint’s hit pretty bad, guys,” Natasha said over comms. “We’re going to need evac.”

“I can get Barton to the jet,” Thor offered. “The sooner we’re gone the better. You and Stark secure the sceptre.”

“I’m already on it,” Loki said. “Just hold them off.”

“What…” Thor glanced at the sky, distracted. A giant dragon flew in the jet’s direction, holding Clint in its – his – claws. Thor raised an eyebrow. It had been _centuries_ since Loki had shifted form.

“Copy that,” Steve said, somehow completely missing the dragon.

“Looks like they’re lining up,” Thor said, looking at some soldiers in the distance.

“Well, they’re excited,” Steve said, and held his shield up. Thor struck it with Mjolnir, creating a shock wave that threw them into the ground. “Find the sceptre,” Thor insisted, and ran to hold off the rest of the soldiers.

“And for gosh sakes, watch your language,” Tony said gleefully, now that he had gotten an opening.

Steve shook his head. “That’s not going away anytime soon,” he muttered.

...

Tony flew in through the window. “Guys, stop, we gotta talk about this,” he said. He fired at everyone from the suit, leaving no man standing. “Good talk."

“No, it wasn’t,” said a young soldier. Tony knocked him out and stepped down from the suit. “Sentry mode,” he ordered. He walked over to the computers and placed a thin device next to it. “Okay, JARVIS,” he said. “You know I want everything. Make sure you copy Hill at HQ.”

Agent Maria Hill had enrolled into Stark Industries once SHIELD had fallen the year before.

“I know you’re hiding more than files,” he muttered. “Hey, J, give me a scan of the IR room real quick.”

A beat.

“The wall to your left – I’m reading steel reinforcement and an air current.”

Tony walked towards it, muttering, “Please be a secret door, please be a secret door…” he pressed it lightly. It gave way without resistance. “Yay!”

He stepped through a passageway that led to stairs. He followed the length of the corridor it opened out into, which was dimly lit. He emerged in a huge bunker and was awestruck by its contents. Steve’s voice crackled through the earpiece, slightly distorted as Tony entered the cavern. This normally would have struck him as odd, since his earpieces didn’t _crackle_ , but he was too distracted to consider it. “We have a second Enhanced. Female. Do not engage.”

Tony walked through slowly, seeing recovered parts from the invasion of New York. There were fragments of Chitauri weaponry, and the exoskeleton of one of the Leviathans. And then… the sceptre.

“Guys, I got Strucker,” Steve said.

“Yeah, I’ve got… something bigger,” Tony murmured. He strode up to the sceptre. “Thor, Loki, I got eyes on the prize.”

Just before he reached, however, the setting changed. The Leviathan came to life, and flew low over him. Panic seized him and he yelled in alarm. However, the Leviathan flew into open space. Tony was almost certain that hadn’t been there moments ago. He then caught sight of a rock face, littered with bodies. His stomach churned. The bodies of his friends.

His eyes travelled down to the base of the rock, where Steve’s shield had been torn in two. Seeing their bodies like this… Tony gasped and fell to his knees next to Steve, looking for a pulse. Steve caught his arm suddenly, startling him. “You… could’ve… saved us,” Steve said, obviously with a lot of effort. He closed his eyes, and let go of Tony’s hand. His arm fell to his side. Limp.

Steve was dead, but Tony could still hear his voice. “ _Why didn’t you do more?”_

Tony looked up, horrified, to see that he was on the Chitauri world. His friends appeared to have been _slaughtered_ by the Chitauri. After Steve, Clint and Natasha lay on the ground, looking relatively unharmed – except from the scorch marks from laser fire on their suits. Thor was sporting numerous wounds, and his hammer lay shattered to his side. Tony hadn’t known that was even possible.

The Hulk lay on top of a pile of stone, green blood pooling around his limp body. Tony staggered and fell to his knees, right in front of Loki, who was barely recognisable under the myriad of burns, cuts and bruises he sported all over his body. The worst of the injuries that Tony saw was a ring of bruises around his neck which looked an awful lot like someone had choked the life out of him.

The shock was enough for him to snap back to reality. Relief and dread coursed through him. He blinked, casting a glance at the Leviathan exoskeleton behind him. It didn’t move. _Obviously,_ he thought. He pushed away the emotions threatening to take over him completely and held out his hand. His gauntlet flew onto it and assembled itself around his arm. He pulled the sceptre out of its containment cell.

Nothing happened. They finally had what they were looking for.

...

The Quinjet soared above the clouds, and Clint wasn’t getting any better. Loki was doing the best he could with the things he had. “It’s better than nothing,” he said as he worked, but he was still worried. Thor could see that, despite how much his brother tried to hide his worry behind a neutral expression. None of the others could see past the blank mask Loki wore, but Thor had been used to Loki hiding his emotions behind an expressionless face.

Loki wasn’t too happy about Midgardian technology. True, they had discovered various tools and medicines to eradicate diseases that had once taken an impossible amount of lives, but it was nothing compared to Asgard. He made sure that Clint’s condition was stable, then glanced at Thor, who was staring at the sceptre. Loki walked up to him once he was done. “How is Barton?” Thor asked.

“Not too good,” Loki admitted. Both of them had switched to their native language so that no one would understand them. “He’s mortal, and this is…” he shook his head. “And travelling takes so long here.”

Thor placed a hand on his shoulder. “Loki, you healed Fandral after he had been stabbed through in Jotunheim. Those were conditions we had never been in, and yet you kept your cool and saved his life.”

“We were fighting the _jotuns_ then. I had to act quickly. And we got him to the Healers quickly. Now, all we can do is sit around, or talk. And my magic only heals _me_. I can’t-” he sighed. “I don’t know what to do,” he admitted softly.

“Thor, report on the Hulk,” Natasha called before he could reply.

“The gates of Hel are filled with the screams of his victims,” Thor replied eagerly. Loki sat down on a crate and rested his head in his hands, resisting the urge to hit his brother round the head. Thor realised what he had said and backtracked. “But not the screams of the dead, of course. No, no, uh, wounded screams – mainly whimpering, a great deal of complaining of sprained deltoids, an, uh… gout.”

Bruce couldn’t help but smile at Thor’s floundering attempts to make him feel better. “Hey, Banner, Doctor Cho’s on her way in from Seoul, it is okay if she sets up in your lab?” Tony asked from the cockpit.

“Uh, yeah, she knows her way around,” he replied.

“Thanks,” Tony said. “Tell her to prep everything, Barton’s going to need the full treatment,” he told JARVIS.

“Very good, Sir.”

“JARVIS, take the wheel.” He got up to examine the sceptre. “Feels good, yeah?” he asked the others. “I mean, we’ve been after this thing since SHIELD collapsed. Not that I haven’t enjoyed our little raiding parties, but…”

“No, but this… this brings it to a close,” Thor said. He looked peaceful, finally.

“I’ll be glad to have this matter done with,” Loki said. He was still wary of the sceptre, after what had happened to him on the Sanctuary.

“As soon as we find out what this has been used for. I don’t just mean weapons. Since when has Strucker been capable of human enhancement?”

“Banner and I will give it a once over before it goes back to Asgard,” Tony said to Loki. “Is that cool with you?”

“Of course,” Loki said. He just wanted it out of his life. It would be safe with Tony.

“I mean, just a few days until the farewell party. You’re staying, right?”

“Yes, of course. A victory should be honoured with revels,” Thor said.

“Yeah,” Tony said enthusiastically. “Who doesn’t love revels, right, Captain?”

“Hopefully this puts an end to the Chitauri and HYDRA.” Steve smiled. “So, yes, revels.”

“Loki?”

The god of mischief looked up. “I’ll be visiting Asgard with Thor, and I’ll return for the party.”

Tony clapped his hands together. “Great,” he said excitedly. “All friends of yours are invited, if they can make it, of course.”

Tony chattered of eagerly, and Loki smiled. This was well earned, after all.


	16. Birth of Ultron

“Will Sigyn be coming to the party?” Thor asked Loki. The two of them were relaxing in the gardens, enjoying the weather as they strolled past the numerous well-maintained bushes.

“Yes, when she returns from Vanaheim. Apparently they’ve found some new records about the fall of the Valkyries, and she’s trying to get them to allow her to file it in the archives.”

“That’s lovely,” Thor said. Loki smiled. He didn’t smile often these days, Thor noticed, silently vowing to cheer his brother up on a regular basis. His thoughts began to wander and eventually fixated on Jane.

“I take it Jane isn’t coming?” Loki asked, correctly guessing what he was thinking about. He liked the scientist, though he had grown closer to her friend Darcy. Thor supposed that it had been inevitable, since they shared many interests.

Thor sighed. “Things are… we haven’t spoken in a while, but things haven’t been the same recently. We are… taking a break, as the mortals would say.”

Loki rested a hand on his brother’s shoulder comfortingly. “Things will sort themselves out,” he said. “If I know anyone who’s that devoted to someone they love, it’s you.”

“And you,” Thor said. “You’d do anything for Sigyn.” Thor’s shoulders slumped. “But here’s the difference between us – Sigyn and you match in lifespan. Jane and I don’t. That’s what this is about. We don’t know if we can handle it. Although…”

Loki gently nudged him, encouraging him to continue. They were getting so much better at communicating, especially concerning any personal issues, and he didn’t want to break that streak. “Although what?”

Thor stopped walking, and gave him a small smile. “If Jane and I – what do the humans call it – _break up_ , I hope she would like to remain as friends with me. I do not wish to lose her friendship if we cannot manage a romantic relationship.”

Loki blinked. “Thor… I cannot say for certain what is to happen, but I can assure you; she would definitely want to maintain some form of correspondence with you. It will all work out, brother, don’t worry about that.”

Thor grinned. “This is why we call you Silvertongue.”

Loki, who had rested a hand on his brother’s shoulder in a familiar gesture of comfort, roughly shoved him aside. Thor stumbled, laughing. “Stop,” he huffed. “This isn’t an excuse for you to mope around on Asgard, though,” he added. “You are joining us all at the party.”

“Of course, brother,” Thor said in a mock-affronted tone. “What kind of a person do you take me for?”

The palace staff who overheard Loki’s next comments laughed for days after the incident.

...

A few hours before the party, the Asgardians landed on the backyard of Stark Tower. Tony was waiting for them. “Great, you guys made it,” he said with a grin. He nodded at Thor and Loki, before spotting Sigyn. “Ma’am,” he said formally, shaking her hand. “You must be…?”

“I’m Sigyn. Loki’s wife.” Tony’s eyebrows shot up, doing an impressive job of merging with his hairline. He turned his gaze to Loki, eyes wide with surprise.

Loki snorted, correctly interpreting the meaning of the expression on Tony’s face. “Well, the middle of a battle or an alien invasion isn’t exactly the best time for such news.”

Sigyn smirked.

“Fair point, Reindeer Games,” Tony allowed. “Come on in, everyone’s waiting for you. By the way, you look surprisingly dapper. I didn’t know you guys wore suits. I thought you just dressed like you were from the tenth century.”

“Well, we do,” Sigyn said, looping her arm through Loki’s. “At least when it comes to casual wear, our style is somewhat medieval. Though not all of us prefer it.”

“Okay, the three of you have to come down one day and explain life on your weird steampunk planet.”

Sigyn laughed. She liked Tony, she decided. He reminded her a lot of her own husband. “It would be my honour.”

“So tell me,” he asked as he led them inside, “how do children scandalise their elders on Asgard?”

...

There were so many people on Avengers Tower. Music played in the background, and there was an open bar. Everywhere, people were laughing and chatting animatedly. Thor was amusing a group of older men (at least by human standards – he was one the oldest there) with a story of one of their more amusing battles.

Doctor Cho was in rapt conversation with Clint, who had by then recovered completely. Steve and Sam Wilson were playing by the pool table. Thor moved over by the bar, where Tony and Loki were chatting with James Rhodes. “Well, you know, the suit can take the weight,” he was saying, “so I take the tank, fly it right up to the General’s palace, drop it at his feet – I’m like, ‘Boom! You looking for this?’”

The joke was met with silence. Loki was trying to hide a smile, which was directed at the silent pair. “I said, ‘Boom! Are you looking-’ why do I even talk to you guys? Everywhere else, the story _kills,_ ” he muttered, annoyed.

“That’s the whole story?” Thor asked.

“Yeah,” Rhodey said, blinking. “It’s a War Machine story.”

Thor laughed. “Oh, that’s very good, then. It’s impressive.”

Loki couldn’t help it; he burst out laughing.

“Quality save,” Rhodey said, looking pleased. “So, no Pepper? Is she not coming?”

“No,” Tony said, gesturing vaguely.

“What about Jane?” Maria Hill asked. “Where are the _ladies,_ gentlemen? So far, Loki’s been the only one to please. And please he did,” she added softly. “Sigyn is _fabulous_.”

Loki wondered if she meant for him to hear it, and flashed a quick grin at her. She winked back good-naturedly.

 “Well, Miss Potts has a company to run,” Tony said evasively.

“Yes, and I’m not even sure what country Jane’s in. Her work on the Convergence has made her the world’s foremost astronomer,” Thor said proudly.

“Yes, and the company that Pepper runs is the largest tech conglomerate on Earth. It’s pretty exciting.”

Thor continued, “There’s even talk of Jane getting a… a Nobel Prize.”

Maria nodded. “Yeah, they… they must be busy because they’d hate missing you guys get together.” She coughed, barely attempting to conceal the word “Testosterone!” that she hid in it. “Oh, excuse me,” she said blithely.

“Want a lozenge?” Rhodey teased.

“Uh-hmm.”

“Let’s go, then.” Rhodey said, and the two of them walked away, laughing.

“But Jane’s better,” Thor told Tony once they were out of earshot.

“And that’s my cue to leave,” Loki said, stepping away.

...

Thor pulled out a flask with a chuckle. He poured some of what was inside into his drink, then poured some more into Steve’s glass. Steve eyed it carefully. “Well, I gotta have some of that!” an older man from across the table exclaimed.

“No, no, no, see, this was aged for over a thousand years, in the barrels built from the wreck of Brunnhilde’s fleet. It’s not meant for mortal men.”

Steve shot him an odd look.

“Neither was Omaha Beach, Blondie,” said another man. “Stop trying to scare us. Come on.”

Thor shrugged and poured some of it into the man’s drink. A few moments later, he had to be escorted out of the party. “Ex…cel…sior…” the man slurred.

Sigyn walked up to them along with Natasha and Maria. “Thor, please tell me you didn’t give that man Asgardian mead.”

“I might have,” Thor said, handing the flask to him. Sigyn eyed its contents. “Where did you get this?” she asked. “It’s incredibly rare, even _I_ don’t have access to it. I daresay Loki has tried to get it multiple times, but so far, neither of us has it.”

“I have my sources,” Thor said mysteriously, taking back the flask. “Besides, you both don’t even like to drink.”

Steve snorted into his glass.

...

Most of the guests had left – only the Avengers (and Doctor Cho) remained, seated on the plush couches. They were discussing Thor’s hammer.

“But it’s a trick,” Clint said idly.

Thor clinked his bottle against Steve’s. “Oh, no, it’s much more than that.”

Clint deepened his voice and tried to imitate Thor’s accent. “ _Whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power,_ ” he intoned. Sigyn snorted. “Whatever, man! It’s a trick.”

“Please, be my guest,” Thor invited.

Clint raised his eyebrows and stood. “Really?”

“Yeah!”

“Oh, this is gonna be beautiful,” Rhodey said with a grin, as Clint walked up to the hammer. He held on to the handle firmly, before turning to Thor. “You know that I’ve seen this all before, right?” he asked, before trying to lift the hammer. “Clint, we know you’ve had a hard week, so we won’t hold it against you if you can’t get it up,” Tony called as Clint struggled.

Cling grunted and loosened his hold on the hammer with a laugh. “And I still don’t know how you do it,” he said.

“Smell the silent judgement?” Tony teased.

“Please, Tony, by all means.”

Tony walked over to the hammer. “Never one to shrink from an honest challenge,” he said. He turned to the two brothers. “Right, if I lift it, I then get to rule Asgard?”

Thor nodded. “Of course,” he said.

Tony struggled to lift the hammer and let go of the handle. “I’ll be right back.”

When he was out of earshot, everyone burst out laughing.

“The look on Tony’s face,” Steve said to Thor. “I have you to thank for that.”

Tony walked in just then. “I heard that, but to prove that I’m on higher moral ground, I’m going to let that pass.”

He tried to pull it up with the help of his gauntlet. “Rhodey?” he called.

A few moments later: “Are you even pulling?”

“Are you even on my team?” Tony replied.

“Just represent! Pull!”

Bruce was next, and he roared, trying to channel the Hulk’s strength. Natasha shook her head with pitying smile. Bruce backed down, looking embarrassed.

“Let’s go, Steve, no pressure,” Tony said.

Steve got up with a shrug, handing his bottle to Thor. He walked over to the table and pulled with all his might. The hammer creaked, moving, just a little. Thor’s smile disappeared, and Steve’s hand slipped on the handle. Sigyn and Loki looked impressed. “Come on, Cap,” Rhodey encouraged. Steve strained a bit more, but was unable to lift it. He shook his head, raising his hands in defeat.

Thor laughed in relief. “Nothing,” he said.

“And?” Tony said, looking at the two others who hadn’t tried yet.

“Widow?” Bruce invited.

Natasha took a long sip from her bottle. “That’s not a question I need answered,” she said, winking at Clint.

 “All deference to the man who wouldn’t be king, but it’s rigged,” Tony said.

“You bet your ass,” Clint said cheerfully.

“Steve, he said a bad language word,” Maria called.

Steve turned to Tony. “Did you tell everyone about that?”

Tony ignored the question. “The handle’s imprinted, right? Like a security code. ‘Whosoever is carrying Thor’s fingerprints,’ is, I think, the literal translation?”

“Yes, well, that’s a very interesting theory,” Thor acknowledged. “I have a simpler one.” He lifted the hammer easily and tossed it in the air. “You’re all not worthy.”

There was a chorus of disagreement from the others. Clint stuck out his tongue at Thor. Suddenly, a loud burst of feedback made everyone wince and cover their ears. Everyone looked up as they saw a lone figure creak up to the central hall.

One of Tony’s suits.

“Wor… thy…” it croaked out. “No, how could you be worthy? You’re all killers.”

“Stark,” Steve muttered.

“JARVIS,” Tony called automatically.

“I’m sorry, I was asleep. Or… was I a-dream?”

 Tony was trying to get the suit under control, but without avail.

“There was a terrible noise...and I was tangled in... in... strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy,” the suit said.

“You killed someone?”

“Wouldn't have been my first call. But, down in the real world we're faced with ugly choices,” the suit replied. It sounded awfully human.

“Who sent you?” Thor asked.

“‘ _I see a suit of armour around the world,’”_ said Tony’s voice. The voice came from inside the suit. Loki felt dread settle into his spine. He had noticed that something had been… off, with Tony, when they returned from the HYDRA base. He wondered whether the sceptre had been involved in this somehow. Another, more concerning thought forced its way to the centre of Loki’s attention.

Why did Tony decide to create this ‘suit of armour’, as he called it? He exchanged a look with Sigyn, both of them knowing exactly what the other was thinking. They weren’t too far off from the other’s thought processes, especially after working in sync as friends and partners for over half a millennium.

“Ultron,” Bruce realised. He glanced at Tony, who had paled considerably.

“In the flesh,” the suit said, sounding delighted that someone had recognised him. “Or, no, not yet. Not in this… chrysalis. But I’m ready. I’m on a mission.” Tony and Bruce exchanged a look. Maria Hill cocked her gun, unseen, and Thor readied his hammer. Loki was ready to summon his daggers at any moment. Everyone was waiting, ready for what was to come.

“What mission?” Natasha asked. The lights in the eye-pieces dimmed, as though narrowed. Never had an iron suit seemed so malicious. Loki tightened his grip on his daggers.

“Peace in our time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Maria may have a _little_ bit of a crush on Sigyn (who can blame her)  
>  Also, while I love Jane/Thor, I also wanted to see how they'd deal with the huge obstacle in their relationship that is their lifespans. In the end, I've left it open to the readers' imagination whether they continue to pursue a romance after the whole Ragnarok thing or whether they remain as friends.  
> Thanks for reading!


	17. Science and Magic

The glass exploded as more suits started to attack them. Steve kicked the table, causing it to flip lengthwise as a shield. Two of the suits crashed into the table, knocking him to the floor. Maria ducked behind a couch and fired at them. Thor knocked another suit away with Mjolnir. Tony ran for the pool table. A rogue suit knocked off his feet.

Repulsor blasts ricocheted across the room. Rhodey flew into a glass panel, crashing through it and landing on a deck below. Clint slid under a table, out of the line of fire. He caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. An idea began to form in his head. Bruce and Natasha ducked for cover under the bar. Natasha unclipped a gun that was hidden under the table. “Don’t turn green,” she said, and leaped over the marble countertop.

Meanwhile, another suit flew towards the sceptre and snatched it out of the case. Clint ran across the lobby, hoping to get what he had spotted earlier. Natasha fired at the suits as she ran up the stairs. Thor cornered a suit and hurled it through the metal bars into the floor below.

Tony leaped onto the back of one of the suits and jammed a scalpel into its neck. Meanwhile, Doctor Cho had been driven into a corner by one of the remaining suits. Sigyn yanked it away, using her whip to swing it towards Thor. She spun and kicked at another one with her detachable heel, which was really a thin stiletto knife that she’d custom-made on Vanaheim. She dragged it down and tore through it with another dagger, effectively slashing it to ribbons.

Thor smashed it into pieces with his hammer. Tony grunted and drove the scalpel farther into its neck. It had the desired effect, and the suit crashed into the ground.

“Cap!” Clint called, and threw the shield at him. Steve caught it smoothly and swung it across the lobby, tearing a suit in half. It fell to the ground, and the suit that had spoken earlier tilted its head.

“That was dramatic,” said Ultron. “I’m sorry, I know you mean well, you just didn’t think it through.”

Thor caught Loki’s gaze and gestured towards the window. Loki nodded, understanding what Thor meant. He leaped out of the window, changing form as he fell. He flapped his wings, now in the shape of an osprey. Chasing the sceptre again. _Back to square one_ , he thought.

Back in the tower, Ultron was still speaking. “You all protect the world, but you don’t want it to change.” He hadn’t noticed the illusion, which was just how they’d wanted it.

“How is humanity to be saved if it’s not allowed to… _evolve?_ ” The others exchanged grim looks. Ultron picked up one of the disfigured suits. “With these? These… puppets?” He threw it to the ground, disgusted. “There’s only one path to peace: The Avengers’ extinction.”

Thor couldn’t take any more of the speech. He hurled Mjolnir at Ultron, who hit the wall and fell to pieces. Oil leaked out from the back of Ultron’s head. “I had strings, but now I’m free,” droned a flat, robotic voice, barely audible. The glowing eyes died, and the lobby was silent.

...

“All our work is gone,” Bruce announced later. “Ultron cleared out – used the Internet as an escape hatch.”

“Ultron,” Steve repeated.

“He’s been in everything,” Natasha said gravely. “Files, surveillance – he probably knows more about us than we do about each other.”

“He’s in your files, he’s in the Internet,” Rhodey said. “What if he decided to access something a little more exciting?”

Maria stilled. She was pulling out glass shards from her feet. Sigyn knelt in front of her, healing her as she pulled out each shard. “Nuclear codes,” she realised.

“Nuclear codes,” Rhodey agreed. “Look, we need to make a few calls, assuming we still can.”

“Nukes?” Natasha asked. “He said he wanted us dead.”

“He didn’t say dead,” Steve corrected. “He said extinct.”

Everyone thought about this for a few minutes. No one knew what to make of the odd phrasing. “He also said he killed somebody,” Clint said.

“But there wasn’t anyone else in the building.”

Tony looked up then. “Yes, there was,” he said heavily, and activated a projection. Everyone could recognise the 3D consciousness of JARVIS. They all fell silent, horrified. “This is insane,” Bruce said.

“JARVIS was the first line of defence,” Steve said. “He would have shut Ultron down, it makes sense.”

“No, Ultron could have assimilated JARVIS.” Bruce frowned. He was examining the destroyed AI consciousness carefully. “This isn’t strategy. This is… rage.”

The sound of footsteps distracted them. Thor crossed the room in a few strides and caught Tony by his shirtfront, slamming him against the wall. Tony flailed for a moment. “Woah, woah, woah!”

“Come on,” Tony gasped out. The collar was starting to chafe his neck. “Use your words, buddy.”

 “Thor, let him go!” Loki cried, running into the room. One of his sleeves was torn, which was a shame – the suit was pretty cool. Tony normally wouldn’t have worried about Loki, since he could heal pretty fast, but blood soaked through the fabric where it had been slashed open.

Thor dropped Tony, who winced and rubbed his neck. “What happened?” Steve asked.

“The trail went cold about a hundred miles but it’s headed north,” Loki said. “I would have gone further but it tried to shoot me down. It hit me, and I couldn’t follow it after that.”

 “And, it has the sceptre,” Thor continued angrily. “Now we have to retrieve it, _again_.”

“The genie’s out of _that_ bottle,” Natasha said. “Clear and present is Ultron.”

“I don’t understand,” Doctor Cho said. “You built this program. Why is it trying to kill us?”

Tony started to laugh. Everyone glared at him. “You think this is funny?” Thor asked. His voice was low, dangerous. “Thor,” Loki warned, wincing when Sigyn’s healing spell found the wound and knit his skin back together.

“No. It's probably not, right? Is this very terrible? Is it so...it is. It's so terrible,” Tony said awkwardly. His emotions were sliding together, blurring at the edges. Why was he so calm? _Was_ he calm?

“This could've been avoided if you hadn't played with something you don't understand.”

Tony started to laugh again, his hysteria rising. “No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It is funny. It's a hoot that you don't get why we need this.”

Bruce glared at him. “Tony, maybe now’s not the best time to-”

“Really? Really, that’s it? You just roll over and show your belly, every time someone snarls.” That wasn’t the point, why was he-

“Only when I’ve created a murder bot,” Bruce retorted.

“We didn’t,” Tony exclaimed. “We weren’t even close. Were we close to an interface?”

“Well, you did something right,” Steve interrupted. “And you did it right here. The Avengers were supposed to be different from SHIELD.”

“I’m sorry,” Loki interrupted. “Tony has expertise in the area of developing AI interfaces. So sue me, but I’m taking his word for it.” He matched Tony’s startled gaze with a clear, even one. Tony’s heart warmed and he felt himself calm down slightly. “He definitely wasn’t _playing with something he didn’t know_ ,” the prince added with a pointed glare at Thor, who shifted uncomfortably.

“Wait a moment,” Sigyn interrupted. “You _wanted_ to create Ultron?”

“Long story short, yeah.”

“Why?”

He blinked and exchanged a look with Bruce. “I, uh…” he didn’t want to talk about his vision, but he had to give some sort of explanation. “I thought we needed something to protect us. Ultron was supposed to be Earth’s first line of defence, our shield.” He sighed. “We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the live long day, but, that up there? That's...that's the end game. How were you guys planning on beating that?”

“Together,” Steve said. Tony looked dumbfounded. “We’ll lose.”

“Then we’ll do that together, too.” Tony turned away.

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Sigyn said softly. Tony raised his eyebrows. “Why did you decide to create Ultron? More specifically, why now?”

Oh.

“You, my lady, are _very_ perceptive.” His mouth was suddenly dry. He swallowed.

“I saw something,” he began abruptly. “Back in the HYDRA facility. An underground bunker, filled with Chitauri tech. And my tech, too. Scraps, mostly, but enough to get things working. It’s how they got their base up and running, I think. One of those Leviathans was there too. If we’re still calling it that. Those big… armoured-fish exoskeleton things.”

“Somehow I doubt that’s why you wanted to create Ultron,” Loki said dryly. “Seeing the Leviathan.”

“That’s … well, we’re coming to that. So, all that tech in a nice, large bunker, and in the middle of it all was the sceptre. That’s when I called you guys, told you I found it. Then I walked up to it, and… I saw the Leviathan come to life.”

Understandably, there were several cries at this. Tony raised a hand, silencing them all effectively. “It didn’t actually come to life,” he backtracked. “I just… I thought it did. At the time. And I looked up, and I saw the portal. Open space, and we – the Avengers – were on a rock. The Chitauri planet.

 “You all were…” he couldn’t continue, his voice choked as he remembered it all, the blood, the injuries, his teammates, his _friends_ all so broken-

“-ny? Tony!”

He was sitting down. His ears were ringing. When had he sat down? He blinked, trying to regain focus through his blurry vision. When he could see clearly again, he saw Loki kneeling in front of him, a worried frown slashing across his brow. “Breathe, Tony,” the prince reminded. A wave of calm flooded his mind, and Tony knew that it was Loki’s magic. The spell took some time to make him relax completely, but Loki waited patiently until Tony got his breathing back under control.

Once Tony was calm, Loki retracted the spell slowly. “Are you…?”

“I’m good, Reindeer Games,” he said hoarsely. “I’m good.”

Loki looked sceptical, but he allowed Tony to continue with a slight nod.

He inhaled sharply. “Well, I saw all you guys…” he waved a hand vaguely. “Dying. Or dead. _Every last one of you_. And I was the only one alive.”

“You thought it was your fault,” Loki murmured, squeezing Tony’s shoulder reassuringly.

 “You used the sceptre to provide the base for Ultron’s interface, didn’t you?” Thor asked, subtly changing the topic.

Tony nodded, both in affirmation and gratefulness.

“From what I understand, the sceptre houses the Mind Stone – what it is isn’t important right now. The gem itself was bound to the Tesseract, and that blue shell held a part of its consciousness in it.”

“Sentient sapphires,” Tony mumbled. Loki snorted softly. Thor nodded. “Well, yes. You borrowed the… coding, if you could call it that, and improvised from there. The interface itself is not hostile, but the files it must have accessed might have given it the wrong impression.”

Tony gaped at Thor.

“I’m sorry for reacting aggressively earlier, Tony. It wasn’t your fault and I should have had a better hold over my anger.”

“All’s… all’s forgiven, Footloose,” Tony said. “When did you learn, well, science like that?”

Thor grinned. “It was a part of my education when I was a child. Apart from all the preparation to be a king, that is. I have always loved such concepts.”

Tony raised his eyebrows, turning his gaze to Loki. “Are you also a physicist in disguise?”

Loki laughed. “Oh, no. I’m more of an Arts and Humanities person. Well, and a mage and, quite recently, a certified Healer.”

“You’re a regular Renaissance Man, aren’t you?” Tony commented. “Your call, Spangles.”

Steve shook his head at the nickname. “Ultron’s calling us out. And I’d like to find him before he’s ready for us. The world’s a big place. Let’s start by making it smaller.”

...

Steve handed a tablet to Thor, who frowned at it. “What’s this?”

“A message, Steve said grimly. Thor handed it roughly to Tony. “Ultron killed Strucker.”

Tony raised his eyebrows. “And, he did a Banksy at the crime scene, just for us.”

“This is a smokescreen,” Natasha pointed out. “Why send a message when you’ve just given a speech?”

“Strucker knew something Ultron wanted us to miss.”

“Yeah, I bet he…” Natasha trailed off as the monitor in front of her beeped. A message flashed: _Record Deleted_. She swore fluently in Russian. “Everything we have on Strucker’s been erased.”

Something dawned in Tony’s mind. “Not everything,” he said, pulling out physical files from the archives.

Thor was sending files flying left and right, throwing them away when he saw that they wouldn’t be of help. Sigyn scowled at him, thinking of how she maintained a strict set of rules on Asgard. Thor quailed under her glare, and set aside the files gently.

“Known associates,” Steve read. “Well, Strucker had a lot of friends.”

Bruce scanned the files quickly. “Well, these people are all horrible,” he summarised. Tony suddenly recognised a photo. “Wait, I know that guy.” He reached out for it. Bruce handed it to him. “From back in the day,” Tony said. “He operates off the African coast. Black market arms.”

He caught Steve’s look. “There are conventions, alright? You meet people. I didn’t sell him anything.” _Ulysses Klaue,_ the name on the file read. “He was talking about finding something new, a game changer; it was all very ‘Ahab’.”

Thor took the photo and held it out so that both he and Loki could see it. Steve leaned in to get a good look as well. “Loki…” Thor’s voice trailed off, and he pointed at a marking on the man’s neck. Loki’s eyes widened as he realised what it was.

“Those are just tattoos, I don’t think he had them,” Tony said with a frown. Thor shook his head. “No, these are tattoos,” he said, pointing at the black patterns of ink shown in the first photo. He pointed out a mark on the second photo. It looked like it had been burned onto his neck. “This is a brand.”

Bruce identified the mark using the scanner. “Oh, yeah,” he said, reading the results. “It’s a word in an African dialect meaning thief. In a much less friendly way.”

“What dialect?” Steve asked.

“Wakanada?” Bruce squinted. “Wa… Wa… Wakanda.”

Tony froze. He looked sharply at Steve. “If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods…”

“I thought your father said he had the last of it?”

“I don’t follow,” Bruce interrupted. “What comes out of Wakanda?”

Tony and Steve turned in unison to look at the shield that lay against one of the tables. “The strongest metal on earth.”

...

They reached the right ship just in time to see Klaue tumble down a flight of stairs. Ultron’s voice rang out from the top. “Stark is… he’s a sickness,” he was saying.

“Aww, _kid_ ,” Tony called. He landed in front of Thor and Steve. “You’re going to break your old man’s heart.”

Ultron shrugged. “If I have to.”

“We don’t have to break anything,” Thor said.

“Clearly, you’ve never made an omelette.”

Tony groaned. “He beat me by one second.”

Pietro Maximoff stepped forward. “Ah, this is funny, Mr. Stark,” he said bitterly. “It’s, what, comfortable? Like the old times?”

“This was never my life.”

Steve spoke up to the twins. “You two can still walk away from this.”

“Oh, we will,” Wanda Maximoff drawled.

“I know you’ve suffered.”

“Ugh! Captain America. God's righteous man, pretending you could live without a war. I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but...” Ultron shrugged again.

“If you believe in peace, then let us keep it,” Thor said earnestly.

“I think you’re confusing peace with quiet.”

“Yeah-uh,” Tony said neutrally. “What’s the vibranium for?”

 “I’m glad you asked that, because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan.” Ultron clenched his fist, pulling Tony towards him by the arc reactor, before flinging him back against the wall with bolts of electricity.

Two suits appeared out of nowhere and started to attack the others. Tony took on Ultron while Thor and Steve fought back against the increasing amount of suits. Pietro suddenly swept past Thor, nearly knocking him off his feet. Steve rushed at Wanda, who threw him back with her telekinetic powers.

Pietro dodged fire as he ran and punched him in the jaw. Thor threw his hammer past the younger man. Pietro slowed down enough to try and catch it. He shouted in alarm as it dragged him down to the ground while changing its course.

Steve caught a suit between himself and the shield. Thor knocked its head off with Mjolnir. Steve jumped off the railing, spinning as he flung his shield across the ship. Pietro started to get up, but was knocked back down by Steve. He grunted and stared up at the Captain. “Stay down, kid,” Steve hissed.

Meanwhile, Natasha, Clint, Sigyn and Loki were doing their best to distract the guards. Sigyn lashed out with her whip and her magic, while Loki shapeshifted as fast as he could into all the creatures he could name, taking them down methodically. He shifted back into his normal appearance to wipe away the grease from his hands and stilled.

Something was invading his mind again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note about Loki and Sigyn's magic: While Loki is a trained Healer, his magic does not really help heal others. Sigyn's is much closer to healing magic, but it works best on herself. What she did to heal Loki was start the healing process, which automatically alerted his own magic to the wound and completed the healing.
> 
> Also, the bit about Thor and Loki's education was from a Tumblr post that I saw that fit with my theories well, (I'm not able to find it right now but I'll add a link when I do) with the central point being that Thor is science nerdy and Loki is humanities nerdy. Here, he's also a Healer, and that falls under the science category, so he's... a little bit of both, but prefers the Humanities subjects more. Hence the Renaissance Man comment
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	18. Hulkbuster

As soon as he sensed the presence, it was gone. Loki frowned, wondering if he had imagined the sensation. He knew that he had to work on his barriers. He may not have been born into a telepathic race, but he knew the feeling of his mind being invaded. Repeatedly. Norns, he hated it. He shook his head and continued walking.

When he emerged in a courtyard in Asgard, he knew that something was wrong. He glanced around himself and amended the observation. It was an orchard. Ash and elm trees surrounded him. Loki glanced upwards at the night sky. It was dotted with stars, which were faintly visible even during daytime.

Loki had never seen such an orchard in Asgard, but it fit his idea of perfection. The closest thing that came to his mind was Sigyn’s Cavern of Light in Vanaheim. He suddenly wondered how he could see clearly in the darkness, before spotting the glowing spheres that hung in the canopy above him. Upon closer examination, he saw that the spheres looked like the ones that had been released at his mother’s funeral.

He turned around slowly in a circle. “How did I get here?” he wondered aloud.

“I brought you here,” said a familiar voice behind him. Loki’s heart almost stopped. He spun around to see a glowing figure. “Mother,” he breathed.

Frigga smiled. An aura of gold light surrounded her, making her look ethereal. Perhaps she was. “It’s been too long, my son. I’m afraid I don’t have much time.”

“How did you-”

“Miss Maximoff’s attempt to poison your thoughts gave me enough room to enter your mind. Right now I’m shielding you and Sigyn from her.”

He exhaled slowly. “Thank you,” he said. “No doubt she meant to show me my worst fear, or memory. She has a lot to choose from.”

Frigga placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’ve been watching you. Your progress with your powers.”

“My what?”

“You spoke to Sigyn about your powers the other day. It was a while ago, I suppose. Time seems unreal to me, after my passing. You were right, my powers were linked to yours, along our empathy link. You were already strong, as a child, but I helped you along the way. You are now stronger than before, stronger than I was as well because not all that magic is mine. Use them wisely, my son. I have faith in you.”

“Will I ever see you again?” Loki asked. His voice was surprisingly steady, though strained with longing.

Frigga shook her head. “I’m afraid not. At least, not for many long, happy millenia.”

Loki laughed bitterly. “It isn’t the same without you.”

“You’ve done well for two years,” Frigga said, cupping his face in her hands. “And I know you will continue to do so. You are surrounded by people who love you. Your friends. Sigyn. Thor. Odin.” Her expression darkened. “But, soon, you will be forced to make a choice. A hard one. And you must be ready for it.”

“What kind of choice?” Loki asked.

“I can’t tell you more,” Frigga said. “The Norns have forbidden me to. They were gracious when they allowed me to see you once more.”

“Can’t I-”

“No, Loki,” Frigga said softly. “Don’t.” After a moment of silence, she added, “Tell Thor… tell him I’m sorry.”

He nodded. “Thank you for your counsel,” he said in a subdued tone.

Frigga laughed, a musical sound Loki knew that he wouldn’t hear again. Not for a long time. “I love you, my son,” she said, and faded into stardust.

Loki was silent. His heart ached. “And I love you,” he said, and opened his eyes.

...

Tony grappled with Ultron as they flew above the dockyard. A shot from his blasters managed to send the sentient bot crashing into one of the ships. “Uh, the vibranium is getting away,” he said, readying another blaster. “And you’re not going anywhere.”

“Of course not,” Ultron said in an irritatingly condescending tone. “I’m already there.”

Oh no.

“You’ll catch on. But first, you’ll need to catch Doctor Banner.”

Tony grimaced and fired at Ultron with a frustrated yell. The bot exploded into shards of metal and Tony shot upwards into the sky. “Guys, I think we have a Hulk situation here. Anybody who can lend a hand?”

Silence. “Natasha, I could really use a lullaby!” Would that work?

“Stark,” said a female voice. He blinked, before remembering that Sigyn was also on the team now. “Where is Banner?”

“I’m looking into it,” he said. “Meet me at the docks. I’ll need some sort of signal.”

“You won’t miss it,” she promised.

Minutes later, Tony saw a copper flare of light shoot into the air. He whistled, impressed.

...

Sigyn poured her _seidr_ energy into her limbs to speed her up as she ran. She rarely used her magic in this manner and hated its after-effects, but knew that it was necessary. Once she reached the docks, she sent up a bright flare of copper light.

A minute later, a familiar red and gold suit picked her up.

The two of them flew towards Johannesburg, where the Hulk had last been sighted. Sigyn sucked in a breath when she saw the Hulk wreaking havoc across the city. “Oh,” she said in a small voice.

“D’you think there’s a chance you might be able to calm the Hulk down?” Tony asked her.

“Perhaps,” she said. “His transformation is not unlike an uncontrolled shapeshift. Loki did that a lot when he was younger and less experienced. He told me that his mother used to coax him back by using her own magic.” She hoped he was alright. The last she’d seen him, he had taken the form of a leopard and had been slicing away at the bots with razor-sharp claws.

“Great,” Tony said. “’Cause I get the feeling Nat’s occupied.”

“Let me down here,” Sigyn said. “You can distract him for a while and I’ll use the diversion to calm him down.”

Tony wordlessly set her down where she’d asked. “You’re the boss.”

Then he flew off to distract the Hulk.

Sigyn concentrated deeply, pooling every last bit of _seidr_ she could muster into her main reserves. The process took about a minute or so. She scaled a tree that was somewhat close to the brawling pair (since when had Tony decided to _fist-fight_ the Hulk?) and leaped onto the Hulk’s shoulder.

She held on as he tried to shake her off, gripping him tightly. She raised a hand to his temple and focused her energies to soothing the angered Hulk. “Hush, child,” she murmured. “You’re fine. You’re safe.” She glared at Tony, who took the hint and flew away.

She quickly put up barriers around them and rooted the Hulk in place. This way, he couldn’t harm anyone else and no one could harm him. As if on cue, a bullet vaporised against the shield she’d just generated. “See?” she asked.

The Hulk growled, but seemed calmer than he’d been a few moments ago. “Not angry?”

Sigyn assumed he was asking her whether or not she was angry. “No, I’m not,” she said gently. “Just a bit disappointed.”

“Why?” he sounded petulant, of all the things.

She was actually talking to the Hulk, she realised at the back of her mind. Something no one had done before. She decided to give him the same advice she’d given Thor centuries ago. “Hitting things never solves anything,” she said. She poured in more of her _seidr_ , calming him more. “You need to sit and think about it till you can act rationally.”

“Earth hate Hulk,” he grumbled.

“They don’t hate you,” she said soothingly. “They just want you to not hurt them when you’re angry. They become afraid that you would hurt them.”

“Earth… afraid of Hulk?” he sounded sleepy and child-like. Sigyn pressed on with her _seidr_. “Right now, they are. But they do not want to be.”

“Hulk… sorry…” he said, and started to shrink. Soon enough, only Banner remained. Sigyn stumbled back and summoned one of Loki’s old coats to cover the scientist, before lifting him easily in her arms.

Tony landed in front of her and let his helmet collapse into sections. “That was probably the bravest and weirdest thing I’ve seen all day.”

“What, me talking to the Hulk or his apology?”

“Both, I guess.”

Sigyn paused. “Will the humans attack Banner if I lower the shields?”

“I’m not actually sure,” he admitted.

“Then I’ll keep them up. But they won’t last long,” she warned, already feeling the sharp drain in her reserves.

“We just need to get back to the Quinjet,” Tony assured her. “They won’t hurt us there.”

“I’m not too concerned about them attacking me, just Banner.” She handed him over to Tony. “Take him to the jet. I’ll get there on my own.”

“No way,” Tony said, though his helmet slid shut. “Loki would kill me if I left you alone to face an angry bunch of humans. Especially if they’re military.”

“I can take care of myself,” she protested.

“Not saying you can’t, but you look exhausted. I’m not taking any chances. They might see you as a threat since they don’t know who you are.”

“Fair point.”

...

Everyone was silent on their flight back, too disturbed to speak. Clint and Tony were at the front, and talking to Maria back at Avengers Tower.

“The news is _loving_ you guys,” Maria said. “They’re wondering who the mystery woman is who subdued the Hulk.”

Tony smiled at that and turned to look at Loki. The prince held his wife in his arms. They both looked exhausted (and Loki seemed a bit… wistful? Nostalgic?) but wore matching expressions of pride. “Yeah, I don’t think we’re telling them for a while.”

“You need to know – it’s probably only because of her that Banner’s off the hook now. Sigyn intervened at the right time. If it wasn’t for what she did, whatever it was, well…” Tony could guess.

“And the Stark Relief Foundation?”

“Already on the scene. How’s the team?”

Tony glanced at the others. They had never seemed this… vulnerable, even during any of their battles. “Everyone’s…” he sighed. “We took a hit. We’ll shake it off.”

“Well, I’d stay in stealth mode, and away from here. At least until this blows over. No lives were lost, though there were a few injuries. And some property damage.”

“So, run and hide?”

“Until we can find Ultron, I don’t have a lot else to offer.”

“Neither do we,” Tony said glumly.

...

The Quinjet landed in a large courtyard outside a farmhouse.

Clint and Natasha led the bedraggled group as they walked up a narrow path to the farmhouse. “What is this place?” Thor asked.

“A safe house?” Tony shrugged.

Clint snorted. “Let’s hope.” He pushed the door open. “Honey, I’m home!” he called. A pretty woman with long brown hair met him at the doorway. “Hi,” Clint said. “Company. Sorry I didn’t call ahead.”

The other woman walked up to Clint with a smile and kissed him. “This is an agent of some kind,” Tony said immediately to Thor. Loki raised an eyebrow, amused by the comment. He had an arm wrapped around Sigyn, who smiled tiredly. She was feeling a lot better now, after resting on the Quinjet.

“Gentlemen, this is Laura,” Clint introduced fondly.

“Hi,” she said. “I, uh, know all of your names.” She turned to look at Sigyn, and frowned ever-so-slightly. “Most of your names.”

“I’m Sigyn,” the goddess said. The rest was obvious.

“It’s nice to meet you, dear,” Laura said. “You look exhausted, we should get you to bed soon.”

“That would be wonderful,” Sigyn admitted softly. “If it’s no trouble.”

“None at all,” Laura assured her.

Tony waved awkwardly at her. Clint’s smile widened when he heard footsteps. “Oh, incoming,” he said, as two children – a boy and a girl – barrelled into the room. “Ah! I see her!” he said, picking up his daughter. He ruffled his son’s hair. “Hey, buddy, how’re you guys doing?”

The others watched in surprise. “And those are… smaller agents,” Tony muttered.

“Look at your face!” Clint exclaimed in the background. “Oh, my goodness!”

“Did you bring Aunty Nat?” Lila asked. Natasha smiled, and dawn seemed to break over her as she replied, “Why don’t you hug her and find out?”

Lila shrieked in excitement and ran into her arms. Natasha picked her up with ease.

“Sorry for barging in on you,” Steve told Laura.

“Yeah, we would’ve called ahead, but we had no idea you existed.”

Clint smiled at him. “Yeah, well Fury helped me set this up for my family. I figured it’d be a good place to lie low.”

Thor looked down at some pieces of a toy he had apparently stepped on by accident. He looked at Loki with some level of desperation. Loki discreetly waved a hand over it, restoring it to its previous shape. Thor pushed it out of the way with his foot with a daring look at Steve, who was frowning at them disapprovingly.

Natasha placed a hand over Laura’s belly. “Honey, I missed you.” Natasha smiled. “How’s little Natasha?” she asked. Laura covered up Nat’s hand with her own. She looked sheepish. “ _She’s_ … um… Nathaniel…”

Natasha looked scandalised. She bent down to whisper, “Traitor,” to the unborn baby.

...

Bruce walked into the drawing room with a small sigh. He was in deep conversation with Natasha. Loki glanced up from where he was seated at the window. “Didn’t think you’d still be here,” Natasha commented.

“Thor’s still here, and Sigyn’s resting. Calming the Hulk took a lot out of her reserves. I’m waiting to see what Thor’s plans will be. Is anything bothering you, Bruce?” he asked, noticing that the scientist seemed rather off.

 “The world just saw the Hulk. The _real_ Hulk, for the first time. You know I have to leave.”

Loki was silent for a few moments. Thoughtful. “You mean, you feel guilty of the damage you caused when you weren’t in control of your own mind and want to run from all the trouble?”

Bruce blinked. “Yeah. I guess you could put it that way. But… every time I see something like this-” he gestured vaguely around him. “You know, a family… I can’t have that.”

Natasha laid a hand on his shoulder. “You’ll find someone,” she said gently. Loki was surprised, she was hardly ever gentle, even while being kind. “Maybe not romantically, but you will find someone. You feel like you don’t belong, but you do. It just takes a while to realise that.”

Bruce shook his head. “I mean, I physically _can’t_ have a family. Not like that.”

“Neither can I,” Natasha admitted hesitantly. “In the Red Room, where I was…” she took in a deep breath, not used to opening up to anyone but Clint. “When our training was done, we had to undergo a procedure. To give us one less thing to worry about. It took Clint and Laura years to convince me that it didn’t make me some sort of…” her voice trailed off. “So if that’s what you’re worried about, I think you need to know that I’m going to be one of the first to try and convince you otherwise.”

“And it took me a while to realise that what I did under the sceptre’s influence wasn’t my fault, at least directly.” Loki smiled sadly. “What I mean is, you can always talk to us, Bruce. You’re a part of our team, and more importantly, you’re our friend.”

“Thank you,” Bruce said finally. “It means a lot.”

Loki nodded, then rose and walked to the paddock outside. Tony and Steve were arguing over a pile of wood they were supposed to be cutting. Thor was watching the sky silently. “Ultron will be making his next move,” he said, resting a hand on Thor’s shoulder. “We need to figure out what that is, if we intend to get back to our normal lives anytime soon.”

 “I saw something in that dream. I need answers. I won’t find them here,” Thor said.

“I’m coming with you,” Loki said immediately.

“I wouldn’t have it otherwise,” Thor said. “I’m going to the Norn Cave.” He launched himself into the air, leaving no room for argument. Loki stood still for a moment and swore at great length.

“That bad, huh?” Steve asked.

“It must be,” Loki replied. “Thor’s ideas can normally get us into a fix, but he wants to use the Norn Cave. That’s serious.”

“I don’t follow,” Steve said. Loki glanced at Sigyn, who had arrived just then. She nodded encouragingly. Loki ran out into the paddock.

“The Norn Cave has waters which can show you visions if they accept you,” Sigyn explained. “Thor must have seen something in that dream that makes him want to return to it. Which means it must be really, really bad.”

The others stared as Loki leaped up, twisting in mid-air, and transformed outside into a huge dragon and flew away, fading out of sight. “That guy never ceases to surprise me,” Tony muttered. Sigyn chuckled. “He does that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The best characters always return as Force ghosts *shrugs*
> 
> Just to be clear, this isn't going to be Bruce/Natasha. Maybe they get together later, maybe they don't - I'm not going to approach their relationship from a romantic angle. Right now, the entire team is working on becoming good friends.
> 
> Also I had to change up that conversation between Bruce and Nat because it was INCREDIBLY ooc
> 
> Basically that entire section was me erasing some of the buildup to Civil War (more of that in later chapters), which I won't be focusing on per se, but it will be referenced in the final chapters
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	19. It Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise update!!!  
> Thank you all so much for the comments and kudos!

“This is it,” Thor said. “The Waters of Sight.”

The cave was dimly lit. Loki couldn’t see the source of light, but it was probably from the cracks in the ceiling. He’d been to the one on Asgard, once, in his childhood. He never could have imagined seeing another.

“In every realm, there’s a reflection. If the spirits accept me, I can return to my dream, and find what I missed.”

“I know the stories,” Loki said. Thor didn’t reply, but knelt next to the water. “Are you sure there’s no other way?” Loki fidgeted uncomfortably. He still wasn’t sure about the plan, and the waters seemed… alive. It was concerning.

“Positive.” Thor took off his tunic and stepped into the water. Nothing happened, so Thor stepped in deeper. Suddenly, lightning lanced across Thor’s torso. He convulsed and groaned.

“Thor!” Loki exclaimed, but didn’t move forward. Thor yelled in pain, and it took every ounce of control Loki had not to leap in and pull him out of the water, but he knew that it would disrupt the vision. The mind was a delicate thing, and such a process as this had to be completed if the men were to emerge as sane as when they entered.

As soon as it had started, the lightning stopped, and Thor slumped over. Instead of recovering and joining him at the edge, he fell back into the waters. Loki tensed. “Something’s wrong,” he said to no one in particular, pulling off his overcoat. Loki dove into the pool. Immediately, he felt a presence in his mind. _Young Prince._

 _Who are you?_ The presence was strongly telepathic, that much was evident.

 _Your brother spoke of us – we are water spirits, and we are the only connection you mortals have to the Norns. We are many, but here you can only sense a few of our numbers._ The voice turned curious. _Why do you come to the Water of Sight?_

 _I don’t want any visions or prophecies,_ Loki said. A lot about the legends made more sense now that he knew about the spirits that lived in the waters. The spirits seemed to grow more curious. He tried to swim deeper in, but was met with a resistance. It felt like someone was gently pushing him back with a hand to his chest. He decided to hear the spirits out, despite how antsy he felt about Thor.

_Yet you dove into our waters._

_I’m looking for my brother._

_And you shall find him unharmed, but not for long. Thor was meant to See, and we woke his ability to do so. The newly awakened powers within him sought us out, to reunite with us._ Interesting. _We will not hinder your way here, but there will be consequences to this action, Prince. You may not seek out the power of prophecy, the visions, as your brother did, but there will be consequences._

 _Then I will bear them. Whatever they may be._ Loki tried to change form, but found himself unable to do so. The voice in his head seemed to sound apologetic.

_Our waters cancel out all other forms of magic. The effect is only temporary. Your powers will return when you reach the mainland._

_Thank you,_ he said, and with powerful strokes, swam to the base of the pool. It was much deeper than he had originally thought. The voices continued to sing at the back of his mind, but he pushed them away. He needed his complete concentration for this.

It was too dark, but Loki thought he saw a large figure sink below him. He hooked an arm around Thor and swam back up, breaking the surface with a gasp. He made sure his brother could breathe as he floated towards the edge of the pool. He managed to heave Thor ashore and rested him against a rock. Norns, his brother was heavy.

His medical training automatically took over and he looked for a pulse. Luckily, Thor’s heart was beating – or more accurately hammering against his rib cage. Not so luckily, his brother wasn’t breathing. For a moment, Loki was paralyzed with shock and fear. He could not lose his brother, he realised, and methodically started to resuscitate him.

After a few rounds, Thor started to cough. Relief flooded through him and he turned him to his side. Thor coughed and blinked as he came to. “What…?” Thor slurred, dazed.

“You sank below the surface,” Loki snapped, wringing water out of his hair. He lifted to a hand to his face to wipe off the water and tears – _tears?_ Had he been _crying?_ – and spoke again after a few moments. “I told you to be careful.”

“You came for me?” Thor asked.

“Of course I did,” Loki said, figuring that his brother must be really out of it. “Now, I hope you got to see the rest of your vision.”

Thor nodded.

“I assume you’re going to tell me – and everyone else – what you saw when we get back, so I won’t ask you now. Save your energy, brother.”

“What did you see?” Thor asked, standing shakily. He pulled his tunic back on. Loki frowned, shaking the water out of his boot. “What?”

“We all saw something that affected us, when Miss Maximoff tried her magic at us. What did you see?”

He yanked the boot back on and sighed. “I saw Mother,” he said bluntly. Thor stiffened. “How?”

“Who can say? I think it was through the link we shared.” Loki had told him about how his powers had intensified over the last two years, and his theory on the matter. “Do you know how telepathy works?” Thor shook his head.

“You might as well sit down.” Loki eyed his brother, who was practically swaying on his feet. Thor surprisingly obeyed. Loki leaned back against the cavern wall closing his eyes as he tried to think of how to explain the whole thing, when he felt a weight settle on him. Thor. He smiled and ran his fingers through his brother’s hair, easing out the tangles gently. “You haven’t done this since we were children,” he commented softly.

“Let’s bring it back,” Thor suggested with a small chuckle.

“Not a chance,” Loki laughed. “I’m only letting you stay because you nearly drowned.”

“Were you scared, brother?”

Loki sighed. “I was terrified,” he admitted. “Brother, I- I don’t want to lose you. Especially not to a pool of sentient water. Think how embarrassing if you showed up in Valhalla because of this.”

Thor chuckled and shifted into a comfortable position. “You were going to tell me about telepathy.”

“Can’t we have a nice conversation for once?” Loki complained. “Oh, where do I start…

“Invading one’s mind is a delicate process. Remember when I was controlled by the sceptre? It held the Mind Stone, as I assume you know, and its powers can bypass the strongest of mental barriers. Miss Maximoff’s powers come from said Stone, so they come pretty close in terms of ability. The gem itself is infinitely more powerful, and I was… rather easy to take over, unfortunately.

“As I told you, they – he – used the sceptre to rearrange my memories, aspects of my personality, everything. The gem was used as a tool, but it wasn’t malicious in intent. When I was finally allowed to wield the sceptre, I used it to my advantage. It kickstarted the process to my recovery, I suppose, by slowly reordering my memories enough for me to have some – I believe the expression is _wiggle room_. My hold on the others I controlled only extended so far, and Erik built in the failsafe.

“But enough of that – that was an example of the powers the Mind Stone held. The Stone has much more abilities, obviously, which I won’t go into - much. Miss Maximoff used her powers to pull out our memories – I’m assuming to generate visions that would send someone like Steve into a fit of nostalgia or instil fear in… well, Natasha or I.

“When done correctly, such a thing could simply resemble a flashback or a hallucination on the victim’s part. If we hadn’t already known about her, we’d never truly know that the influence was not external. To invade our minds in the first place, she’d have to access our telepathic centres. I didn’t want a repeat of, well…” Loki shifted uncomfortably, and Thor lifted his head to look at his brother directly. Loki’s eyes were closed, and he was breathing slowly, deliberately, counting each one. Thor recognised that he was warding off a panic attack.

“You don’t have to talk about it,” he said quietly.

“I know, Thor.” Loki waited for a moment, and when nothing happened, he continued. “I placed barriers on my mind, warded it so that no one could break through. Obviously it wasn’t enough for the Mind Stone, but any other _lesser_ beings - comparatively speaking - couldn’t telepathically attack me.”

“We aren’t a telepathic race,” Thor said.

“No, but all races from the Nine Realms – and a few others as well – are slightly telepathic, in the sense that we all have parts of our mind that allow for telepathy. It’s just that, in some races, these parts are active from birth. For other races, you can learn how to stimulate those parts and become a telepath. We can’t do that without extensive practice, of course, but the gem in the sceptre had those stimulating properties. Which, in turn, made it capable to control one’s thoughts. Or actions. Like it did to me.

“Now I’m telepathically sensitive, and while I can’t converse easily in that fashion, I could do it with some level of effort. But I’m getting off-topic. To gain entrance into one’s mind, you’d need their telepathic centres to be active. When Miss Maximoff sought to stimulate it, I guess Mother’s consciousness must have shielded me from her presence, but in a way that Maximoff wouldn’t have noticed. I assume she thought I was locked inside her vision.”

Thor considered this for a moment as the two of them stepped outside the cave. “So Mother used her link to find the entrance to your mind and communicate with you.”

“Yes, and once I was telepathically active, I was able to respond in kind.”

Thor fell silent for a long while. “You know, I’m glad you got to have that conversation with her,” Thor said.

Loki knew what he meant. “She wanted me to tell you she was sorry. She wanted to speak with you too, but the Norns forbade her.”

“And I don’t think it would have been possible. I don’t have an empathic bond with her.”

Thor gazed at the roof of the cavern. “I wonder when the universe will be peaceful again,” Loki said finally. “Then we can return to our normal lives.”

Thor chuckled. “Were they ever normal?” he asked. Loki smiled. “No, they weren’t,” he admitted, “but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

...

“There,” Clint said. “It’s a truck from the lab. Right above you, Cap, on the loop by the bridge.” The scanner flashed. Clint glanced at it. “It’s them. I got three with the Cradle, one in the cab. I could take out the driver.”

“Negative,” Steve replied immediately. “If that truck crashes, the gem could level the city. We need to draw out Ultron.” Clint could see Steve as he ran across the bridge and leaped onto the roof of the truck. He rolled, absorbing the impact. As planned, Steve swung down to grip one of the rails on the door. His foot collided with the metal and alerted the sentries inside.

A shout from inside, then Steve had to hold on for dear life as the door was blasted open. He groaned and used the impact to swing back to his original position. However, another blast tossed him into the air. He fell back on the door, which had been ripped off its hinges and had created a ramp.

“Well, he’s definitely unhappy!” Steve yelled. “I’m gonna try and keep him that way.”

Clint frowned. “You’re not a match for him, Cap,” he said.

“Thanks, Barton,” Steve muttered.

Clint flew low over the city, ducking below some of the buildings and weaving through the incredible sculptures that lined the sidewalks. Ultron and Steve were fighting on the top of the truck.

Behind Clint, Natasha and Sigyn got ready to disembark. “We got a window!” Clint called. She nodded. “Four, three…” he turned. “Give ‘em hell.”

He swooped even lower, barely above the traffic. Natasha fell onto the road, and he pulled up sharply. She sped across on her motorbike. She weaved through the traffic easily. She shook her head, spotting something on the road. “I’m always picking up after you boys.” She bent down just enough to grab the shield without slowing down.

“They’re heading under the overpass,” Clint said. “I’ve got no shot.”

“Which way?”

“Hard right…” Natasha waited. “Now,” Clint said, and she swerved into an alley, speeding past confused pedestrians. She ended up right next to the truck, and skidded below it, crossing to the other side. Steve glanced down, and she threw the shield wordlessly at him. He caught it and hit Ultron with it, sending the robot flying.

Ultron destroyed a section of the road in front of her. She gasped and stopped just in time, changing her course. She drove the bike up a flight of stairs, hurriedly calling out, “Out of the way! Coming through, so sorry, coming through!”

She sped down the subway. “Clint, can you draw out the guards?”

Clint nodded, even though she couldn’t see him. “Let’s find out.”

As the truck came into view, Clint started firing at Ultron. As he had hoped, he drew the attention of the two guards still inside. They flew up to the Quinjet and tried to take apart the windshield. Clint glanced up at them with a frown and directed the Quinjet to spin rapidly, throwing them off. The two of them followed him, however, before turning back.

“They’re headed back towards you,” Clint said. “So do whatever you wanted to do now.”

“I’m going in,” Natasha said. “Cap, keep him occupied.”

Steve sighed, a sound that rustled across comms. “What do you think I’ve been doing?”

Clint frowned, having noticed that the guards had returned to their posts. They started to lift the back of the truck. As they passed over water, Clint said, “The package is airborne. I have a clear shot.”

“Negative. I am still in the truck,” Natasha replied. Clint was taken aback. “What the hell are you-”

“I’m sending the package to you,” she interrupted. Clint wondered how she intended to do that, but only for a moment. He squared his shoulders. “How do you want me to take it?”

“Uhh… you might wish you hadn’t asked that.” Clint narrowed his eyes at Natasha’s tone.

Just then, Steve’s voice burst over the intercom. “He’s headed your way!” he yelled.

Clint’s brow furrowed. “Nat, we gotta go.”

Clint opened up the cargo hold, realising what she was doing, just in time for the Cradle to slide inside with Nat on it. His smile turned into a look of shock as Natasha was pulled off the Cradle by Ultron.

It was thanks to Sigyn’s magic and years of sparring with her husband while training that helped her move fluidly and swiftly in the next three seconds. In that short span of time, she lashed out with her whip and hooked it around Ultron’s ankle, before yanking him downwards and leaping atop him. She hauled Natasha away from him and tossed her easily into the cargo hold.

Natasha rolled to a stop, slightly dazed by the turn of the events. By then, Utron took off once more, this time pulling Sigyn with him as she clutched on for dear life.

“Sigyn!” Clint yelled into his earpiece. Nat was processing what had just happened and had a horrified look on her face.

He got no answer. “Cap, d’you see Sigyn?”

“If you have the package, get it to Stark!” His orders were clear, but Clint pressed on adamantly. They weren’t going to abandon her. “Do you have eyes on Sigyn?” he asked firmly.

“ _Go!”_

Clint gritted his teeth. He knew that Natasha was also seething when she slipped into the co-pilot’s chair. However, she didn’t protest when he switched the controls to set the Quinjet on a course towards Avengers Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really just an excuse for me to talk about telepathy and my take on how it works in the MCU
> 
> My next chapter will be up on Friday as usual
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	20. Vision

Clint and Natasha stepped away from the Cradle after wrestling with it for a few minutes. “This is sealed tight,” she told Bruce and Tony.

“We’re gonna need to access the program, break it down from within,” Bruce said immediately.

Tony made a noncommittal noise. He turned to Clint. “Any chance you can track Sigyn’s movements? Old school spy stuff? I dunno,” he shrugged.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Clint said. “Nat and I have communicated in these sorts of situations before, but I don’t think Sigyn would be used to those kinds of ways of communication. We could try to track her energy signature, though we’ll need Loki for that one.”

Tony sighed. “Loki’s gonna kill us.”

...

“I wasn't sure you'd wake up.”

Sigyn frowned at the voice, raising herself up on her elbows. “I hoped you would, I wanted to show you something.” Ultron tilted his head. “I don't have anyone else.”

She waited. Was there a point to what he was saying? “I think a lot about meteors, the purity of them. Boom! The end, start again. The world made clean for the new man to rebuild. I was meant to be new. I was meant to be beautiful. The world would've looked to the sky and seen hope, seen mercy.”

She had to stop herself from grinning. This was too easy; she hadn’t even said anything yet. She wondered if this was how Loki felt at the end of a successful interrogation. “Instead they'll look up in horror because of you.” She raised an eyebrow. “You've wounded me. I give you full marks for that. But, like the man said, what doesn't kill me…”

She scrambled back in shock when another, bigger body destroyed the robot in front of her. “Just makes me stronger.” The voice sounded more malicious now. Ultron pulled a barred door shut in front of her. She winced at the shrieking noise it made from lack of usage. Ultron turned his back on her and sauntered away – as much as a metal body could saunter.

She smiled. Ultron had made some very big mistakes in taking her to his base. She closed her eyes and concentrated, reaching out with her magic. It would take time, but that would only ensure that everyone was ready when they came for Ultron. She redirected her thoughts, and expanded her consciousness, willing herself to search for her husband’s unique and familiar signature.

...

Thor skidded into the lab, and glanced at the others. He and Loki had heard the obvious sounds of a fight (punctuated by shattering glass) while they were climbing the stairs. Thor barely cast a glance at the other people inside, before spotting the Cradle, the one he had seen in his vision.

He leaped on top of it, summoning lightning charges from the electrical outlets and brought it down onto the case.

“Wait!” Bruce yelled, just as the hammer struck the surface. For a few moments, the only noise in the lab was the crackle of lightning and the beeping of a warning on the tiny monitor – _power overload_.

Thor stopped and stood still for a few moments. Then, the Cradle exploded, sending him flying to the opposite end of the lab. The others ducked for cover. A figure rose from inside, resting on the lid in a crouch. The gem from the sceptre glowed brightly in the centre of its forehead.

Thor frowned at the figure, which dove at him suddenly. He reacted impulsively and flung him across into the lobby. The humanoid figure stopped only in front of the glass that marked the walls of the tower. It hovered in mid-air, gazing at its reflection.

Steve vaulted over the staircase into the lobby, ready to fight back if needed. Thor stopped him with a raised hand. Loki stood at his other side, waiting, watching, wondering what was going to happen next. The figure didn’t seem to be a robot, instead having brick-red skin. There were odd patterns of a gleaming silvery metal across the arms, which Thor assumed to be the stolen vibranium.

Thor decided that this was an android. The android landed next to them, apparently calm now. Some of their skin turned grey, to look like a suit of sorts. “I’m sorry, that was… odd,” they said. The voice was rather familiar, Thor thought. He wondered why, before realising that the android sounded exactly like JARVIS.

The android – JARVIS? – turned to Thor and nodded slightly. “Thank you,” they said. He glanced at Thor intently, before squaring his shoulders slightly. A cape formed, glittering gold and flowing gracefully to the ground, rustling slightly even though there was no wind.

“Thor,” Steve said. “You helped create this?”

“I’ve had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life, and at its centre is that.” He pointed at the Mind Stone. Loki stiffened next to him. Too late, Thor realised that he should have told Loki about that, or at least given him a heads up. Oh, well.

“What, the gem?” Bruce asked.

“It’s the Mind Stone,” Loki explained quietly. His voice was flat, expressionless. Thor flinched, knowing exactly what he’d done. His brother was shutting out his emotions. Thor _hated_ when Loki cut himself off like that. It was scarier than Loki’s temper, which, though it rarely rose, was worse than his own destructive anger. Thor had only seen Loki explode in rage twice (once when he’d been near fatally injured), but he’d take it any day over this cold detachment. “It’s one of the six Infinity Stones.”

“The greatest power in the universe,” Thor continued, “unparalleled in its capabilities.”

“Then why would you bring it to-”

“Because Stark is right,” Thor said firmly.

“Oh…” Bruce muttered. “It’s definitely the end times.”

“The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron.”

“Not alone,” the android added.

“Why does your _vision_ sound like JARVIS?” Steve asked suspiciously.

Tony spoke up then. “We… we reconfigured JARVIS’s matrix to create something new.”

“I think I’ve had my fill of new,” Steve said decidedly.

“You think I’m a child of Ultron?”

“You’re not?”

“I’m not Ultron,” the android scoffed. “I’m not JARVIS.” He sounded more uncertain. “I… am.”

“I looked in your head,” Wanda Maximoff said, “and saw annihilation.”

“Look again,” Vision said.

Clint snorted. He looked bitter. “Yeah. Her seal of approval means jack to me.”

“Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself, they all came from the Mind Stone, and they’re nothing compared to what it can unleash,” Thor said earnestly. “But with it on our side-”

“Is it?” Steve interrupted, turning to the Vision. “Are you? On our side?”

Thor glanced at his brother, who was watching with an unreadable expression. He hoped his brother would side with him, but he didn’t expect it. Loki had suffered too much at the hands of the Mind Stone. Thor couldn’t blame him if he wouldn’t support the plan. But he could hope.

“I don’t think it’s that simple,” Vision said.

“Well, it had better get simple real soon,” Natasha said coldly.

“I am on the side of life,” Vision said slowly. “Ultron isn’t. He will end it all.”

“What’s he waiting for?” Tony asked.

“You.”

“Where?”

Everyone looked unsure at that. “We’re yet to find out,” Natasha said.

Meanwhile, Loki had been searching the room for another familiar figure. “Where’s Sigyn?”

The others glanced at each other, not daring to respond, at least until Natasha spoke up, telling him everything that happened. Loki closed his eyes, before speaking in that same detached, dangerous voice. Thor had never been gladder to have his brother at his side and not opposing him. “You’re lucky I can track her.”

“You can?” Clint sounded curious, and very obviously relieved that Loki wasn’t going to cut their heads off. “I’ve been trying for hours, but…”

“Through her magic.” Loki concentrated, reaching out for her signature. Since they were married, the task was much easier. He could sense other sorcerers as well, but discounted them easily. Finally, he felt her, and followed the trace. She was telling him something… her location. Coordinates. He snatched a tablet and a stylus off the table and scribbled for a moment before handing it to Tony.

The inventor patched it through his computer, and Loki spoke up, sounding less cold. “She got a message through - don’t ask me how, the explanation will take time that we don’t have – and apparently Ultron took her to his base. Not a hideout, but the actual thing.”

“It’s in Sokovia,” Tony supplied. “Strucker’s HYDRA bunker.” The Maximoff twins started slightly, but everyone else nodded. It held an impressive amount of technology that Ultron presumably needed for whatever he was going to do.

“If we’re wrong about you,” Bruce said to the android, “If you’re the monster Ultron made you to be…”

“What will you do?” The question was not threatening or taunting, just curious. “I don’t want to kill Ultron,” they explained. “He's unique, and he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the earth, so he must be destroyed. Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net, we have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others.”

They looked around, before gazing at themself. “Maybe I am a monster. I don't think I'd know if I were one.” The others exchanged looks. “I'm not what you intended. So there may be no way to make you trust me. But we need to go.”

Everyone glanced up then, and stared. The android was holding out Thor’s hammer to hold. Loki seemed to be the only person not taken aback; rather he was eyeing the android curiously, as though they were an interesting feature of the dark elf technology that he’d been examining.

Thor took the hammer from him gingerly, as though it was about to explode. The  android walked off, not knowing about the reaction they had caused. “Right,” Thor said. He strode past Tony and clapped him on the shoulder. “Well done.”

...

Thor decided to call the android Vision. They conferred together outside, capes billowing in the slight breeze. They spoke in low tones, even though the others would not overhear.

They walked up to the others just as Steve was saying, “I got no plans tomorrow night.”

“I get first crack at the big guy. Iron Man’s the one he’s waiting for.”

“That’s true,” Vision said, strolling past him. “He hates you the most.”

They glanced at the two brothers. “You’re sure about this, right? No second thoughts?” Tony asked Thor.

“I foresaw this, in my vision,” Thor replied. “It has to happen this way.”

Tony snorted, and turned to Loki. “I’m surprised you’re taking this so calmly,” he said.

“If you’re insinuating that I tend to overreact,” he began teasingly. Tony rolled his eyes. Loki sighed, and suddenly the others were reminded of how old he really was. “I can’t say that I don’t have a problem with this,” he said, “But I’m giving the Vision the benefit of the doubt. But I don’t know if I can trust someone who wields the Mind Stone. Not after…” he trailed off, forcing back the sudden deluge of incomplete memories and poisonous thoughts.

The others knew what he was talking about. But, to their credit, however curious they were, they never asked about the details concerning his time with the Chitauri.

The Quinjet was ready, and everyone put on their earpieces. “Ultron knows we’re coming,” Steve said. “Odds are we’ll be riding into heavy fire, and that’s what we signed up for.” There was a heavy pause. “But the people of Sokovia didn’t. So our priority is getting them out.”

He turned to the Maximoff twins. “I need the two of you to ensure that everyone in the city is out before the fight begins.” They nodded.

“Thor, Loki, both of you have to get back in the base, see what Ultron’s built.”

“And bring Sigyn back,” Loki added. “Presumably she has information that can help us.”

“How come?” Pietro asked curiously. “I mean no offense, but if she was captured by Ultron…”

“My wife is extremely resourceful,” Loki said. “And she is quite literally magic.”

Steve nodded. “Right. Now listen up, we gotta get the citizens out of there. All they want is to live their lives in peace, and that's not going to happen today. But we can do our best to protect them. And we can get the job done, and find out what Ultron's been building. We find Sigyn, and we clear the field. Keep the fight between us. Ultron thinks we're monsters and we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right.”

Natasha raised an eyebrow. “It’s about proving him wrong.”

...

Thor nodded at Loki, who took the signal to mean that everything was clear, and that he had found Ultron’s lab. Loki descended the narrow staircase, which led to a small cell. Sigyn was inside, concentrating on something with her eyes closed. She sensed Loki and opened her eyes with a smile.

“Well, you took your time.”

“I would’ve come sooner, but my brother decided to go swimming in the Waters of Sight.” He leaned against a wall and raised an eyebrow. “How come you’re not out of the cell yet?”

“I was avoiding suspicion. Ultron was here, or at least, his guards were.” Sigyn rested a palm on the lock. It gave way with a soft click, and she slid the door open. It screeched across the floor.

Loki winced at the harsh noise. “The others?” Sigyn asked, stepping outside and dusting herself off.

“Getting the civilians out.” Loki stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. “You had me worried for a minute,” he murmured against her hair.

She wrapped her hands round him. “Loki, I’m fine. Ultron practically handed me information on a silver platter.”

“Of course he did.”

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and she pulled him down so their lips met.

“Shall we?”

A nod.

Loki changed form, back into the huge dragon. Sigyn climbed on, holding one of the ridges on his back tightly. He spread his wings and shot upward. He tried to breathe fire, but ended up spewing ice instead. He barrelled through the hole in the roof and emerged outside. Sigyn was laughing, and not because of the exhilaration of being in the air. “Seriously?” he muttered.

“Loki,” Sigyn called, glancing over his shoulder (do dragons have shoulders?). “To your left.”

He noticed something odd happening to the city. The borders were crumbling, the pavement seemed to collapse in on itself. He flew higher, trying to see it completely. A crack formed in a rough circle around the city, separating it from the rest of the ground.

Before he could wonder why, Sokovia started to rise.

Sigyn made sure that communications was turned on, before saying, “Ultron wants to turn the city into a meteor that will destroy Earth.”

“How in the Nine Realms is that possible?”

He could see Ultron, who was watching with a triumphant sort of air, and he could hear every robot carry Ultron’s voice, to ensure that they all heard the message.

“Do you see? The beauty of it, the inevitability. You rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor, my swift and terrible sword and the earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal.”

Sigyn snorted. “I think I saw that in Doctor Who. Next thing you know, he’ll want to _upgrade_ everyone living on Earth.”

“Plot twist: we’re living in Pete’s World,” Loki joked, before swooping down to the ground.

He landed on top of a few robots, crushing them beneath his feet. Sigyn slipped off, her whip cracking through the air. He changed back, and tore his daggers through the torso of another. He hoped the others had the situation in hand.

He turned his attention to Steve, who was speaking over the intercom. “Tony, you worry about getting the city back down safely,” he said. “The rest of us have one job: tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt ‘em back. You get killed, walk it off.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Sigyn have Doctor Who marathons on Asgard and you can't convince me otherwise
> 
> Also, I picture Sigyn as a woman of colour with red hair (which is a rare combination, I know, but still) and I headcanon her as panromantic-ace
> 
> Vision gets they/them pronouns for now because no one knows if androids are gendered


	21. Fighting Back

Thor flew out from under the city. He frowned when two cars fell past him – one of the occupants was screaming – and promptly changed direction. He saw that Loki (in dragon form) had caught the red convertible, and made for the green sedan instead. The two of them brought the cars back to the bridge, where the occupants stumbled out in relief.

Loki changed back just as Steve shoved a robot off the edge of the city, yelling at it angrily. Steve turned to face them. “What, were you napping?” he asked. Thor ignored him and strode past them. The others ducked behind a truck when another bot started firing at them. Loki could see its position in the mirror. He took careful aim and flung a dagger at it. It hit the robot right in the eye, and the bot collapsed.

Steve looked impressed. “I gotta learn how to do that with the shield,” he said.

“I think you can do it already. It just needs precision.”

Thor knocked another robot aside with Mjolnir. Steve, who was on the ground, kicked up his shield at his meaningful look. Thor struck it so hard that it tore past a robot and lodged itself into a car. “Or you could do that,” Loki muttered. Steve grinned. The trickster got along better with Tony (birds of a feather and all), but he was so much fun to hang out with, with his love of learning and dry wit.

Thor spun a few robots around and hurled them onto a petrol tank, which exploded. Suddenly, Ultron swooped down and caught him. He was pulled away, still fighting to break free of the iron grip.

“Oh, he shouldn’t have done that,” Loki said. He was smiling, but it was a cold, vicious smile that made Steve want to back away instantly. It was easy to forget that Loki was a super-powerful prince from another world and had an arsenal of things he could do with his magic. He was suddenly glad that the prince was on their side. Loki changed form and shot off in his brother’s direction.

Steve _really_ wished he had a sketchbook and a pencil.

...

Thor fell through a column where Ultron finally dropped him. The robot was attacking him from every angle he could find, and Thor had to drop his hammer to fight back. He could hear Tony and Steve talking over comms, something about blowing the city up.

At the moment, he wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea. As long as they got the civilians out. “You think you’re saving anyone?” Ultron asked, grabbing him by the throat. “I turn that key and drop this rock a little early and it’s still billions dead. Even you can’t stop that.”

Thor had spotted someone, a hazy figure sneak up behind Ultron. “I am Thor Odinson,” he said, “and as long as there is… life in my breast… I am…” he turned to the figure. “Running out of things to say… are you ready?”

Ultron turned, surprised, and in that moment, Loki swung Mjolnir, hitting Ultron square in the chest. As he flew into a column, Loki handed the hammer to Thor. “I see why you like it, but it’s not really my style,” he said nonchalantly. “There’s no subtlety to hitting someone repeatedly with a heavy object.”

Thor shrugged. “Well, you didn’t have to use it.”

“Oh, but I did,” Loki said, and the playfulness that had been present only a few moments ago disappeared from his tone, leaving it icy, edged with fury. “No one gets away with hurting you like that, not while I’m here.”

Thor smiled fondly at him. Loki rarely felt the need to be violent, though his combat skills rivalled Thor’s own prowess. One of the things that could tick him off enough for him to resort to physical conflict was harming his loved ones. Vision came up behind them. “Ultron’s coming for the key,” they said solemnly. Thor wondered if that was how they normally spoke. It was how they had addressed them so far, at least. Unnervingly calm. They sounded awfully like JARVIS.

“Thor, I’ve got a plan!” Tony yelled over comms.

“We’re running out of time,” Thor replied. “They’re coming for the core.”

A moment later, he landed next to them, and the others slowly followed. “You good?” Pietro asked Wanda, who nodded resolutely.

“Romanoff? You and Banner better not be playing ‘hide the zucchini,’”

“Relax, Shellhead,” Natasha replied blithely. “Not all of us can fly.”

A truck crashed into the column behind them, and Natasha hopped off. “What’s the drill?”

Tony pointed towards the core. “This,” he said. “If Ultron gets a hand on the core, we lose.”

“Why do I get the feeling you mean it literally?” Sigyn muttered.

Just then, Ultron flew back into view. He looked badly dented and beaten up, though still functional. Thor whistled and glanced at Loki. “Must have packed quite the hit there,” he muttered, and turned to Ultron. “Is that the best you can do?” he yelled. Loki smacked his forehead exasperatedly.

Ultron raised a hand, calling forth an army of robots – how many of those were there? – and replied, “This is the best I can do.”

Steve turned to Thor and glared at the warrior, exasperated. “You had to ask,” he said dryly.

“This is exactly what I wanted,” Ultron gloated. “All of you, against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?”

“Like the old man said,” Tony answered. He glanced at Steve and smiled, though he couldn’t see inside the mask. The affection in his voice was unmistakable, however. “Together.”

The robots charged. Tony retaliated by blasting them as they came near. Thor was striking them with Mjolnir. Bruce was tearing them apart with his bare hands, while Clint shot them with his arrows. Natasha fired back and occasionally ran through them with her batons. Sigyn hacked them apart with her whip. Vision and Wanda took them apart with the power of the Mind Stone, while Pietro tore them to pieces by running through them. Loki shifted into every creature he could name, as seamlessly and swiftly as he could. Talons turned to claws, fur turned to scales, and he wrecked the opposing army with a viciousness none of the others had seen. Steve used the shield and the power of his fists to break them.

One of the robots flew past him, close enough that he had to spin almost horizontally as he leaped over it. He brought the shield down, shorting out its circuits, when he caught Loki staring at him incredulously.

“Are you training for ballet or something?”

Ultron threw Vision into a wall, and Vision blasted a beam of light at him – the energy from the Mind Stone. Thor glanced at Loki and nodded at Vision. They ran outside. Lightning joined the beam of light. Loki summoned the Casket of Ancient Winters and poured its energy into Ultron. Frost climbed over him, shorting out systems even as it melted from the heat of the lightning and pure energy. Tony joined them as well and added to the onslaught with his repulsors. As the metal melted and cooled repeatedly, it shattered, brittle from the temperature change. Ultron was gone.

The robots did not fall, however, like they had expected. They tried to leave the city, but Loki was drawn to the inside of what was once a church – where everyone had assembled around the key. Voices sang in his mind, filling him with a vision – the city, crumbling to dust; falling to earth and taking hundreds of lives.

He gasped, suddenly aware of a strong,, familiar pair of hands on his shoulders. Thor had, from the looks of it, been calling his name repeatedly. “Are you alright?”

“I think I just discovered what the consequences for diving into the Water of Sight are,” he said, and ran inside.

“What about the core?” Clint was asking.

“I’ll protect it,” Wanda said.

“I’ll help,” Loki said, but Steve shook his head. “I need eyes above the city, and you and Thor can provide that. If we need anything, we’ll call.”

Loki nodded reluctantly, and flew above the city, picking out any stragglers and alerting Sigyn to their position. He saw Natasha trying to calm the Hulk, but one of the robots started firing then, causing the Hulk to roar and Natasha to roll for cover. He spotted the source of the assault and flew towards it. He tore into the metal with his claws, shaking out the occupant. He tossed the plane aside and ripped apart the robot. But there was another jet, somehow, and it finished what the robot had started.

Loki could not see him, but knew who the occupant was. Ultron. Apparently, he had migrated into another robot by using the last of his energy before his body crumbled.

The Hulk yanked him away from the jet and threw him into Loki’s path. Loki flung the body into the streets.

But he hadn’t noticed a solitary form crawl up to the core and turn the key. The ground dropped, and Loki changed form, rolling to absorb impact. Tony was yelling into the earpiece, telling him to fly out, but he knew what to do. He’d placed vortex bombs all around the city while they’d been fighting, where the charges lifted it into the air. He hoped that the invention would work, after he had modified it.

He tossed the activator at the key, shifting back into dragon form, flapping his wings hard so that he could overcome the force of the vacuum. It wouldn’t affect the boats with the civilians. Just him.

He felt it pulling at him, and beat his wings harder but with no result. Pouring in his _seidr_ did nothing but drain his reserves. He finally was too exhausted to continue, and changed form, falling into the vortex he had just created. And the world faded into darkness.

 

Thor had seen his brother fly above the vortex, and knew what he had done. He flew towards him, wondering briefly if he would be able to reach his brother in time to help. Just then, Loki changed back and started to fall into the vortex.

Either time slowed, or Thor sped up, but he somehow reached Loki and caught him. He barely slowed as he flew out of the vortex’s range. The city crumpled in on itself just as he landed on the Helicarrier.

 

The Quinjet was still missing. Bruce was nowhere to be found. Natasha had tried to broadcast a message to him, but they had no idea of knowing whether he had received it. Loki had woken up a few minutes later, completely fine but exhausted. He had been pleased to find that no one had been injured, when the reports came through. Sigyn had yelled at him for another fifteen minutes about taking risks that could cost his life, and Thor got to see a side of Loki he hadn’t seen in centuries, sheepishly accepting her scoldings like a guilty child.

No one else knew what to make of it.

 ...

Clint decided to return to his family, while the others stayed in the newly built compound. The new Avengers facility, or so they thought (Tony had been unclear about whether the facility was new, or if it was for the new Avengers).

“The rules have changed,” Steve said.

“We’re dealing with something new,” Tony said.

“Well, the Vision’s artificial intelligence,” Steve said with a frown.

“A machine.”

“So that doesn’t count.”

Thor laughed. They had been discussing the hammer and worthiness since the party. He couldn’t believe that it had only been a few days. “But what about you?” Tony asked Loki.

“I’ve never been able to lift it before,” he said with a shrug. “I have no idea what made it possible this time. It’s made to look a lot cooler than it is.”

Tony grinned. “Yeah, I don’t really see you waving a hammer around like a maniac. No offense, Thor.”

“But, different rules for us,” Steve insisted. “Since, you know, it’s not like a person lifting the hammer.”

“Thanks, Rogers,” Loki said dryly. They burst out laughing. “You know what I meant,” Steve said finally.

“I know,” Loki said with a wink. “The Vision can keep the Mind Stone,” he said, and Thor looked surprised. “It will be safe with them. And these days, safe is in short supply.”

They fell silent for a while. “But if you put the hammer in an elevator…” Steve wondered.

“It would still go up,” Tony said.

“Elevator’s not worthy,” Steve pointed out.

Thor chuckled. “I’m going to miss these little talks of ours.”

“Not if you don’t leave.”

Thor shook his head. He’d told Loki about what he intended to do. Loki had reluctantly agreed. “I have no choice. The Mind Stone is the fourth of the Infinity Stones to show up in the last few years. That's not a coincidence. Someone has been playing an intricate game and has made pawns of us. But once all these pieces are in position...”

Loki stopped in his tracks, smile fading rapidly. Thor noticed and stopped as well. The others noticed as well, but were kind enough not to mention it.

“Triple Yahtzee?” Tony suggested.

“You think you can find out what’s coming?”

“I do,” Thor said, and decided to change the topic. “Besides this one-” he gestured at Tony – “There’s nothing that can’t be explained.”

“I’ll be back,” Loki said. “You haven’t seen the last of me yet.”

“Wouldn’t have thought it,” Tony replied with a grin. “Well, if you ever need a hand, you know where to find me.”

 “Guess that’s settled, then,” Steve said with a wave as Sigyn walked up to them, arm in arm with a star-struck Maria. “I’ll see you around,” she told the former SHIELD agent.

“And I you,” Maria returned.

Sigyn squeezed her hand lightly before joining her boys in the lawn. Thor glanced up at the sky, and the Bifrost erupted around them in a burst of colour, carrying them home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Yes, I had to do that)  
> Oh, and, Pietro's not dead in this story, Loki and Hulk took care of Ultron so he wasn't shot down  
> Also, I headcanon Natasha as aro-ace so she's not going to be with Bruce romantically in this series


	22. Origins

Sigyn frowned when he talked about what had happened with the spirits in the Waters of Sight. “That’s never been heard of before,” she muttered. “In all the records, either you go in to see something about your future, or you don’t. No one who goes in does so without such a request.”

Loki nodded. “I think that’s why the vision did not appear sooner. Although, there was something else… I saw Mother.”

“You what?”

Loki told her what his mother said to him in the vision he’d first had. Sigyn looked slightly sceptical. “Are you sure that was your mother? I mean, it could have been Wanda Maximoff.”

They’d spoken about the shipyard with everyone else, and Wanda had confessed to manipulating their minds. Pietro hadn’t like the plan since the beginning and had said as much after the battle. She was on probation and under the others’ guidance to become an Avenger if she wished. Her brother was also monitored, though the security measures were lesser, compared to the constant monitoring Wanda was under.

Loki shook his head. “I wondered, at first, but her telepathic signature was hostile at first, when she tried to enter my mind. It felt like the Mind Stone, but… corrupted? I can’t quite tell. Then it, well, it resembled that of Mother’s. You can’t lie about a telepathic signature. It’s a lot like a magical signature.”

“If you’re certain,” she said. “I just had to ask. And, about the Norn Cave, what do you think Thor saw? In his vision?”

Loki was silent. “He saw the Infinity Stones,” he said at last in a tight voice. “He saw them in the centre of a whirlpool that could destroy the universe. And I think I know who the whirlpool is.” His expression turned dark, his brow furrowed. Sigyn leaned forward, taking his hand. “You think that it might be the answer to your hidden memories,” she realised.

He nodded closed his eyes. “Every time,” he whispered. “Every time I try to remember anything besides the horrors I faced, it just slips away. And when I think I can finally move past it, another reminder of it shows up, ready to destroy something I love.”

Sigyn sighed. “Whatever – whoever it is, we’ll face them together. You won’t be alone. I’ll be there with you, and so will Thor. So will Leif and Alva. And Sif, Fandral, Volstagg, Hogun, and your friends on Earth. Our friends,” she corrected. “And if it’s an army you want, you have Asgard’s. I’m also sure that Vanaheim will stand behind you if it comes to it. And I daresay we could renegotiate a peace with Jotunheim and ensure that their warriors will be with us as well.”

He smiled at her, the adoration plain in his eyes. How did Sigyn always know the right thing to say? “Did I tell you that I love you, today?” he asked, idly tracing her cheekbone with his thumb.

“I don’t think so, no,” she replied.

“Well, then I’ll say it now. I love you,” he said, pulling her close to him. She had wondered, in her early childhood, how it would feel to be in love.

“And I love you.”

Words couldn’t do it justice.

...

{Three months later}

“Father, you sent for me?”

Odin turned to face his youngest son. “We have something to discuss,” he said. “Something important, concerning the future of Asgard.”

“Of course, what is it?”

“You wouldn’t like it,” Odin said, and told him what was on his mind.

Odin was right. He didn’t like it.

...

Sigyn frowned at her husband when he entered their chambers. He used his _seidr_ to swap his leathers for simple nightclothes and made a beeline for the bed. He flopped down on it gracelessly, face first. She raised an eyebrow. In all the years they’d been married, even when he was terribly sleep-deprived or exhausted after a mission, he had never done this. “Loki?”

“Thank the Norns I chose to call myself ‘Friggason’.” His voice was muffled, flat, expressionless. Sigyn grew more confused, and concerned. Her husband was normally dramatic, but this was new.

“How come?”

“She was the only one who had sense in this household,” he deadpanned. “Excluding you, of course.”

Sigyn blinked.

...

_{A year later}_

The entire realm seemed silent, but it was a peaceful silence. Not the hush that preceded conflict, but one that promised a calm and content future. It had been what they’d been moving towards since the Great Beginning.

Sigyn had found some documents in Vanaheim just before they’d gone to Earth, and she finally had the time to go over them. She then realised what they were: Asgard’s histories, which had been locked away for a thousand years. The histories revealed a darker past than Loki had known. As a child, he had known most of the legends that surrounded them, but the House of Odin had been shrouded with mystery. At least to him.

A section of the archives had been dedicated entirely to the fall of the Valkyries. Loki had studied that particular section repeatedly, because their abrupt end had always seemed somewhat _off_ to him. And as he learned more, he found many of the mysteries around Asgard disappearing. Sigyn had approached him one day and handed him the scrolls and tomes with an expression that was as close to complete emotional detachment that he had ever seen in anyone, let alone his incredibly empathic wife.

Odin had had a daughter, born a few hundred years before Thor. They had conquered realm after realm, but one day, Odin decided to foster an age of peace. However, Hela’s bloodlust was far from quenched, and she had turned against him. Odin had sent the Valkyries to subdue her, but she had killed them all.

Finally, Odin had used much of his power to trap her into a pocket dimension close to Helheim. His presence on Asgard, and her distance from it weakened her powers enough that she could not break free.

And then, Loki realised, came the First Jotun-Aesir war. Laufey had used the opportunity to raid Earth.

Asgard, it seemed, had been forged in blood.

Loki stood and picked up Gungnir. The weapon had served him greatly in the past, but it had never felt comfortable in his hands. He placed it in the stand next to the throne, and strode towards the gardens. He and Sigyn had decided to launch a series of peace talks with Jotunheim. Negotiations were slow, but they seemed to be making progress. The new king asked for reparations for taking away the Casket, and was offering a blood-price for the attacks against the throne, which were apparently limited to a few select warriors in Laufey’s elite guard.

Asgard wasn’t simple to govern. He’d changed the administration a lot, over the last few years. He loved seeing the people and how happy the changes made them (such as the new theatre), but being a king was stifling enough with all his responsibilities. He quite literally carried Asgard on his shoulders. Sigyn was amazing, helping him as much as she could when he needed it, but the position found something… lacking.

Everyone could see that the stress caught up with him, and he relied heavily on Heimdall’s advice. The Gatekeeper’s position had been amended to head advisor. Loki trusted his old mentor to act in favour of Asgard. He knew that he was running himself through the mill, but he couldn’t exactly take a break. Not for long, at least. He wondered if the Odinsleep was something limited to his father alone. (Though if he fell into such a coma-like state, he couldn’t very well call it by the same name. Norns forbid that the people of Asgard called it _Lokisleep_. He would never hear the end of it from Leif, Alva and Sigyn.)

He threw himself into every project they started, and create plans for the worst foreseeable outcomes. They didn’t want a repeat of the dark elf invasion, so Loki worked on strengthening the defences with Sigyn and Sif’s help. Sif had gone to Alfheim to get the required materials and Sigyn had conferred with Asgard’s foremost scientists to get the devices working.

They also had evacuation plans in place, as well as defence strategies and backup plans in case the worst happened. Heimdall told him of a stronghold built by Asgard’s first settlers. It had been used as a bunker in the Aesir-Vanir war some fifteen millennia ago. Heimdall knew how to open it, and Loki felt the _seidr_ that protected it almost as soon as he stepped inside it. They cleared out the place and stored emergency supplies inside.

The rest of the Council believed that they would never need the stronghold, but Loki dreaded that they would. He wandered aimlessly among the groves of oak and rowan, thinking about the visions he had been seeing lately. Over the last month, one particular vision rose before his eyes.

Ragnarok. The day when Asgard would fall. Even humans knew of it, and called it Doomsday. Loki’s vision matched the prophecy completely, but he couldn’t see why it had been plaguing him recently. Perhaps it signalled the day’s approach. Loki tried not to think about it. The day when Surtur, King of the Fire Giants, would rise from the Eternal Flame and bring forth the fire that would devour Asgard completely.

A figure landed next to him, appearing to fall from the sky. He spun around, raising the spear, when he noticed who it was. “ _Thor?”_

“Hello, Brother,” the god of thunder replied. He had something large strapped to his back, and his cape was smoking slightly. “Have I got news for you.”

“News can wait,” Loki said with a frown. “You’ve been gone for two years, and Heimdall refused to tell me what exactly you were doing. I have a lot of questions, starting with that.” He gestured towards the object that Thor had slung over his shoulders.

“Oh,” Thor said, as a few guards ran up to him. “That.” He pulled it off and held it out for Loki to see. Loki’s eyes widened. “Surtur’s crown?”

Thor frowned. “Okay, it looks nothing like a crown.”

Loki raised an eyebrow. Thor shook his head and handed it to an _einherji_ guard. “Do me a favour and lock this in a vault so that it doesn’t turn into a giant monster and devour the whole planet.”

“World,” Loki corrected automatically. Thor shot an enquiring look at him. “Asgard, technically, isn’t a planet.”

Thor snorted. “I think we can discuss the planetary status of our home world later.”

“You’re the astrophysicist of the family,” Loki grumbled.

Thor ignored him. “We have other things to worry about.”

“We do?”

“When I was on Muspellheim, Surtur told me something very odd. He said that the throne was unguarded, that Odin wasn’t here.”

Loki’s expression tightened. “It’s hardly _unguarded_ ,” he mutered. All the responsibilities he bore as Asgard’s king weighed upon him, making him look more tired than he already was. Thor was taken aback. His brother looked _drained_ , in a way he hadn’t even when he’d returned from Earth after his two-year-long disappearance. Thor longed to understand why his younger sibling suddenly looked centuries older.

 “A year ago, Father decided that he did not want to rule without Mother at his side. He told me to take the crown, and I agreed.”

“So where is he? And where’s Heimdall?”

“His job as Guardian of the Bifrost has been amended.”

Thor closed his eyes, and when he opened them, they shone with a steely determination. “Well, then, we’re going to talk to Father. But first… you look exhausted, Loki, and you need to get some rest.”

Loki shook his head. “I’m fine, Thor.”

“I insist. You look like a stiff breeze could knock you over.”

“Hey!”

...

An hour later, Thor carried his sleeping brother to his and Sigyn’s chambers. The two of them had spoken a bit, and Loki had given Thor some tomes to read about the fall of the Valkyries. The trickster had fallen asleep sometime along the way, while minding his brother. He knocked, seeing that the door was closed. Sigyn opened it, looking almost as tired as her husband. “Thor! I didn’t know – oh, is he alright?”

Thor’s eyes dropped to his brother, who was wrapped in his cape. The bright red jarred against the dark green embellishments on Loki’s leathers, but the trickster looked peaceful in his rest. “He’s asleep.”

“Oh, thank the Norns,” Sigyn said with a sigh. She stood aside to let Thor in. “He’s been working day and night to keep Asgard up and running. I’ve been caught up with my share of the work as well, as Asgard’s ambassador, so I haven’t been able to check on him.” She looked guilty. Thor shook his head. “You know how he is,” he said, as he laid Loki on his bed and unlaced his boots. “If he wants something done, he’ll do it without a break, or rest. No matter how much he wants, or needs it.”

Sigyn bit her lip and unbuckled the braces on Loki’s armour. Those would do more harm than good if he slept in them. Thor was right, of course, but Loki had stopped those habits when they’d gotten married. She made sure he took care of himself properly and didn’t tire himself out. Or, she had done so until now. Her heart sank.

“Stop that,” Thor chided.

“What?”

“Sister, I know that look. I’ve seen it on Loki far too many times in the past to mistake it for anything else. You’re blaming yourself for this. Don’t. While you might have been able to persuade him into getting some rest, that was only ever a small chance with any of us. We can take better care of him now. Maybe he’ll listen if both of us implore him to do so.”

Sigyn nodded slowly. “Thor? Thank you.”

Thor nodded and closed the door behind himself as he retired to his own chambers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I strongly stand by the noting that Loki was a good king to Asgard in the four years between TTDW and TR and no one can convince me otherwise (also I headcanon Loki as the kind of person who works on adrenaline and random energy bursts until the job is done then crashes for like a century, and MAYBE that scene with Thor was my indulging in some brotherly mother-henning (however that's spelled)
> 
> Okay, I'm not going into the details of Civil War so I'll just summarise them here. As I mentioned, Wanda is under probation and Pietro's alive, and the Avengers are an actual functioning team, so the main conflict between Steve and Tony about Bucky would be handled quite differently. 
> 
> The Accords are less of a deal, though the idea was suggested to ensure that the Avengers don't abuse their power. It isn't forced on them, and they have more than enough time to go over all the details and fine-tune the whole thing to suit everyone. It's a compromise, not the best thing they could have hoped for since there are a few restrictions, but not a bad one either.
> 
> The main issue about the Winter Soldier will be addressed long before they meet up in the bunker in Siberia, that doesn't actually happen. Steve comes up one day to ask Tony for help since his search resulted in nothing. Tony understandably flips out and decides to stay in a neutral position - Steve can use the resources he needs, but Tony himself isn't going to help him. 
> 
> The Avengers all go to Vienna for the ratification of the Accords, and the bomb blast sets forward a smaller chain of events that draw T'Challa into the field. Steve explains the whole thing to him, and T'Challa is on more or less the same page as Tony, once they find Bucky. The two of them offer to collaborate (aka Shuri does the heavy lifting and Tony suggests using B.A.R.F tech) to remove the Winter Soldier programming from Bucky's mind.
> 
> However, Tony is still pretty mad at Steve for not telling him and their friedship is somewhat strained, but it doesn't affect any of the other Avengers. They're still a team and Sam met Scott Lang when he stole from the Compound (and they tracked him down and spoke to him and Tony decided not to go into it because Hank Pym was involved) and Scott and Hope are technically, non-officially Avengers (because I love them)
> 
> And Homecoming takes a different route when Tony's researching about Spiderman and accidentally discovers his true identity. He decides that Peter should be more protected (and that he's an actual genius and takes him under his wing) and makes him the new suit (because I love KAREN)
> 
> And Bruce hitched a ride all the way to Sakaar, that hasn't changed - the Ragnarok arc starts in the next chapter, which will come up on Friday
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	23. Weird Things Happen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song whose name is this chapter's title is actually a part of the Thor Ragnarok soundtrack, and it's used in the scene where they're all in the Sanctum.  
> Basically what I'm saying is, they wasted a perfect opportunity for a pun by not calling it 'Strange Things Happen'

Loki wondered how Thor had ever been able to convince him of his ridiculous ideas, and why he even listened. He stood in front of the apartment complex that was now a pile of rubble. He mentally cursed humans and their instability regarding housing facilities. “I swear, I ensured that he’d have a place right here.”

“Right here on the sidewalk or where the building is being demolished?” Thor asked dryly.

Loki scowled. “How was I supposed to know? I can’t see into the future, I’m not a witch.”

“Then why do you dress like one?” Thor’s tone turned playful, as he referred to the all-black suit he wore to blend in with the mortals (not that it was helping much. Save the world a few times, and you’re suddenly famous).

“Hey!”

Thor burst out laughing at his brother’s indignant expression. Loki joined him a moment later. Suddenly, two girls came up to them. “Ask him,” one of them hissed to the other, shoving her forward.

“Hi,” the second girl asked shyly, “Would you mind taking a picture with us?”

Thor nodded. “Sure.”

Loki moved out of the way instinctively, but the girl turned to him. “Oh, I meant with both of you. That is, if you don’t mind?” He blinked, not used to the attention as a hero to Earth. “I’d be honoured.”

He moved into frame and smiled at the camera. “Thanks!” The first girl exclaimed. Loki smiled. “Just tag me in the picture if you decide to post it,” he said. She nodded excitedly and pulled her friend away.

“Let’s start finding out where he is,” Thor continued, before frowning. “Also, since when were you on Midgardian social media?”

“Since after the Convergence,” Loki said blithely. “Sigyn and I went all out. What's that saying - in for a penny, in for a pound.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“It does if you know how their currency works,” Loki countered.

“Right, in your own words, I’m the astrophysicist of the family. _You’re_ the anthropologist.” His eyes narrowed, he was looking at something on the ground, near Loki’s feet. Loki glanced down and noticed what was happening. A ring of sparks had appeared around him, near his ankles. He stepped back nervously, but the ring moved with him.

“What are you doing?” Thor asked.

“This isn’t me,” he replied automatically, shifting his gaze to Thor for a second. A moment later, the ground disappeared beneath him, and he fell with a startled cry.

Thor blinked as the ring disappeared. It had left a tiny card behind. Thor tapped it gingerly with his Mjolnir, which had been disguised as an umbrella. “Loki?” he whispered. He remembered the chaos his brother had caused as a child, turning into anything he saw every two seconds to prank Thor. He doubted that it was Loki’s mischief-making, but it did no harm to be careful.

When the card didn’t change back, he picked it up. _177 A Bleecker Street_ , it read.

...

Loki fell in an undignified heap on a cold stone floor. He looked around him to see relics that would not have been out of place in Asgard’s vaults. The room, wherever it was, was empty. He stood, slowly turning in a circle.

“Loki,” said a voice behind him, and he spun to face a man, who was standing behind him. He’d obviously appeared through some form of magic – not _seidr_ – since he hadn’t been there a moment earlier.

“Since when did humans have magic?”

“Well, the actual term is ‘Mystic Arts’.”

“It all falls under magic,” Loki said absently, still observing his surroundings. He could feel the magic radiating off the walls. A concealment spell, perhaps? “Who are you?”

“My name is Doctor Stephen Strange, and I am the Master of the New York Sanctum. I have some questions for you. Let’s wait till your brother gets here, though, shall we?”

A sudden blast of wind shook the room. Something knocked Loki’s legs from under him, and he found himself sitting in a comfortable armchair. He raised an eyebrow. Strange was obviously new to magic, otherwise he wouldn’t try to use it every two seconds. “Tea?” the doctor called. Loki shook his head. “Thank you, but I think I’ll pass.”

He heard a knock at the door. “That must be your brother,” Strange said, and disappeared from the room. Loki closed his eyes. The repeated, random and completely unnecessary bursts of magic were giving him vertigo. Was this how his mother had felt when he’d been a novice? He blinked, realising that this was the first time he’d thought of his mother since her death in anything apart from grief.

A few moments later, Thor sat next to him in yet another armchair.

“Loki?”

“Oh, good, you’re here,” he said. “So, Strange, why did you bring us to the Sanctum?”

“I’ve been keeping a watch list of individuals from other worlds – realms – who might propose a threat to this world. Your father is one of those beings.”

“I don’t see how,” Thor said. “My father bears no ill will to your planet.”

“And, we’re looking for him now.”

“So, if I were to tell you where Odin was, all parties concerned would promptly return to Asgard?”

“Promptly,” Thor said.

“Great.” Strange stood. “Then I’ll help you.”

“If you knew where he was then why didn’t you call me?” Thor asked.

Strange glanced at Loki, who had sunk back into his chair with his hands covering his face. “I have to tell you, he was adamant that he not be disturbed. He said that he wanted to remain in exile.” Apparently this was news to Thor, who frowned at Loki. “And... you don’t have a phone,” the doctor continued.

Thor turned back to him. “No, I don’t have a phone, but you could have sent me an electronic letter. It’s called an email.”

“Do you have a computer?” Strange asked slowly.

“No,” Thor said. “What for?”

Strange shot an aggrieved look at Loki, who was somewhere between dying of embarrassment and laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. “If you could tell us where he is, I can break the spell that binds him here and take him home.”

“Gladly. He’s in Norway.”

There was another gust of wind, and they were suddenly standing by a book-case. Loki reached out and steadied himself. “I’m just seeing whether this incantation requires any Asgardian modifications,” Strange explained. A moment later, he slammed the book shut and placed it back on the shelf. “Nope.”

They were in the other side of the room. While Loki had let go of the bookshelf, Thor had been holding onto it, and it had teleported across the room with him. “Oh, we don’t need that,” Strange said, and Thor was back in his earlier position. Beer slopped from his tankard all over him. He muttered a few choice curses under his breath. “Will you stop doing that?”

“I just need one strand of your hair,” Strange told Loki, since he was closest to him. Loki shook his head, having understood why. “You’ll need Thor’s DNA for that.”

“I thought you were his son?”

“He’s not my biological father,” Loki explained. “We’re not even the same species.” A portal with _his_ hair would probably take them to some remote corner of Jotunheim, or, given his luck, to the throne of the new king, who was incidentally related to him.

Strange looked like he wanted to say something, but he shook his head. He walked up to Thor, who backed away, saying “Look here, my hair is not to be meddled with- _ouch!”_

Stephen had teleported behind him and yanked out a single strand. Loki watched with interest (and amusement as Thor groused about his hair) as the sorcerer infused it with magic and made a few odd gestures that obviously directed the magic as he wished it. Humans had learned to channel magic in different ways, then. It was always fascinating to watch mages without inborn _seidr_ work on their spells.

The hair wove into a few sparking strands, before Strange was at the bottom of a grand staircase and Thor found himself rolling down them haphazardly. Loki slid down the banister smoothly, completely unaffected by the spell (he’d thrown up new wards the minute he arrived here). He landed on his feet lightly and pointedly laughed at his brother instead of helping him. Thor scowled at him and grunted as he pushed himself up. “We could have just walked.”

In front of them, a portal opened, leading out to a grassy meadow. They fell silent and exchanged a nervous look. Strange nodded at the portal, which was a ring of fiery light. “He’s waiting for you.”

“All right,” Thor said, and made to step into the portal.

“Don’t forget your umbrella.”

“Right, yes,” Thor remembered, and extended his hand. There was a series of noises that sounded like glass and other fragile objects breaking. Stephen frowned.

“Sorry.” The umbrella flew into Thor’s hand. Stephen observed the spray of glass fragments behind it with some horror and stared at Thor, who obliviously brushed off more pieces from its folds.

“Thank you for your help,” Thor said, shaking his hand. He stepped through the portal. Stephen nodded, and turned to Loki. “So… how can I contact you? If I ever need you for extraterrestrial business?”

Loki frowned. “On Asgard, we don’t have phones or email addresses like you mortals do, but I did reconfigure some of our technology to recognise yours.” He scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to him.

“What is it?”

Loki smirked. “It’s a phone number.”

Stephen blinked. “I thought you said-”

“I know. I meant cell phone towers.”

“Ah.” Stephen pocketed the paper. “I think I like you,” the doctor said bluntly.

“Likewise.”

...

Loki could hear waves crashing below, and realised that they were on a cliff face. Thor tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention and nodded at the lone figure in the meadow before them. “Father?”

They approached him quickly. Odin didn’t move. “Look at this place,” he said. “It’s beautiful.”

“Father, it’s us,” Thor said.

“My sons,” Odin said. Loki closed his eyes. A band tightened around his chest. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

“I know,” Thor said gently. “We’ve come to take you home.”

“Home, yes,” Odin said vaguely. “Your mother, she calls me. Do you hear it?”

Loki realised what the tight band was, now that Odin had pointed it out. His empathic link was trying to find his mother’s consciousness, which meant that she was somehow close to them. Tears filled his eyes, but none of them fell. Thor looked at him, confused. “Loki?” he prompted.

Odin raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t tell him?” He couldn’t. Odin sensed this and continued, “It took me a while to break from your spell. Frigga would have been proud.”

“If you intended to break from it,” Loki whispered, “you needn’t have asked me to cast it.”

Loki could sense Thor’s anger and confusion building, and knew that it was valid in this case. Odin placed a hand on his shoulder, and moved to sit on a rock. “Come sit with me,” he invited. “I don’t have much time.”

Loki had known this. Odin had told him that he was nearing the end of his five-thousand-year cycle. _“It is only a matter of time now before I am gone. And Asgard needs a leader.”_

The two of them sat down beside him. “I know that we failed you,” Thor said, missing Loki’s flinch, “but we can make this right.”

“No, _I_ failed _you_ ,” Odin said wearily. “It is upon us. Ragnarok.”

“No, I’ve stopped Ragnarok,” Thor said. “I put an end to Surtur.”

“No. It has already begun. She’s coming. My life was all that held her at bay, but my time has come.” Odin met Loki’s gaze meaningfully. “I cannot keep her away much longer.”

“You mean Hela.”

“Yes,” Odin admitted. “My firstborn. Her violent appetites grew beyond my control. I couldn’t stop her, so I imprisoned her. Locked her away. She draws her strength from Asgard, and once she gets there, her powers will be limitless.”

“Whatever she is, we can stop her. We can face her together.” Loki’s heart sank at Thor’s hopeful words. _Oh, Thor._

“No, we won’t.” Odin took Thor’s hand, startling him into silence. “I’m on a different path now. This you must face alone.” He sighed. “I love you, my sons,” he said.

Loki turned away, feeling his heart race. His breathing automatically quickened, and he tried to get it under control-

“Look at that,” Odin said, pointing towards the horizon. The two brothers followed his gaze. “Remember this place. Home.”

And with that, he dissolved into golden dust, and swirled into the heavens.

They stood in silence. Loki knew that he was trembling, he hoped that Thor wouldn’t notice. Odin had told him years ago to expect this, but there was no way in which he could have prepared… Thor clenched his hand into a fist. The sky darkened above them. “This was your doing,” he growled. Small bolts of electricity crackled across Thor’s fingers.

“I know,” Loki snapped. Thor looked surprised. Green seidr sparked across Loki’s hands and the trickster swayed on his feet. Thor rushed forwards, to catch his brother should he fall. “Loki?” he asked softly, guiding him to sit on the rocks.

Loki shuddered, and Thor automatically knelt down next to him. He and Sigyn had done this enough times for them to fall into a routine. “Can I touch you?”

A small nod. Thor braced a hand on Loki’s shoulder and took his hand in the other, leading it to his chest to rest it over his heart. “I need you to breathe for me, okay?” he expected no response, which was just as well, since whatever Loki was doing instead of breathing normally was not supplying him with much-needed oxygen.

“Just follow my count, brother. Remember?” Thor heaved an exaggerated breath, knowing that Loki was listening, trying to copy the steady pattern. And it was working, slowly. They stayed like that for a few minutes, and when Loki could breathe normally by himself, Thor pulled him into his arms, rubbing his back comfortingly. The trickster sobbed against his sweatshirt. “I’m sorry,” he gasped. “I shouldn’t have – when he asked-”

“Shh, brother, this wasn’t your fault. I shouldn’t have said that.” It was easy to forget how _young_ his brother was. Thor was not much older himself, only 1500 to Loki’s 1050 (Loki would correct it to 1053, because of _course_ he would). Still, his brother had been born at the turn of the millennium. Despite the fact that he was well into adulthood (by Aesir standards), he was pretty young.

Loki let out a choked sound, before pulling away and wiping at his eyes. He was rapidly composing himself. “I have no idea why that happened now,” he said.

Thor did. He wasn’t completely sure, but he had a fair idea. Loki’s mental state had already been pretty bad at the time of their mother’s death. Of _course_ it would trigger an attack when their father…

Oh, _Norns,_ Father…

In light of helping Loki with his attack, Thor had shoved away the fact that their father had turned into gold dust in front of them. _Dead_ , his brain supplied. Thor sucked in a breath, and felt a steady hand on his shoulder. Loki. Thor let himself fall into the offered embrace, for it was now Loki’s turn to offer him comfort, because even the slightest bit-

A portal opened behind them. At first, he thought it was Strange, before bright emerald light shone from the inside. It wasn’t the calm green of Loki’s magic, this seemed… poisonous. Tainted. Loki reeled back instinctively, hauling Thor to his feet. The portal was practically radiating dark magic.

A figure stepped out from inside, and Thor slammed Mjolnir to the ground, summoning his armour. With a green flash of _seidr_ , Loki summoned his own armour as well. Hela stepped out from the portal, looking dishevelled and confused for a moment, before gaining her bearings. “So he’s gone?” she asked. “That’s a shame. I would’ve liked to have seen that.”

“You must be Hela,” Thor said. Loki knew that his brother was prioritising again, _engaging battle mode_ , as Tony might have said. “I’m Thor, son of Odin.”

“Really?” Hela asked. There was no sarcasm in that question. “You don’t look like him.”

“Perhaps we can come to an arrangement,” Loki suggested warily.

“You sound like him.”

The statement surprised him into silence for a moment. He’d never thought about it that way. “Kneel,” she said.

Something tickled at his memory. The phrase… he’d heard it earlier. The memory returned in flashes – he’d said it to the Germans while he had been under the sceptre’s influence. “I beg your pardon?”

“Kneel,” she repeated slowly, conjuring up a pitch black sword. “Before your Queen.”

Was this really how he had sounded? No wonder Tony had blasted him into the steps in front of the gallery.

“I’d love to,” Thor said, “But she’s not here now.”

Hela looked confused and Loki laughed, startled. His brother was honestly the best. Thor grinned back, and flung his hammer at her. Loki swore fluently under his breath when Hela reached out and caught it in one hand. Thor’s own hand was still extended, and he tried to call Mjolnir back to him. The hammer trembled, but Hela held on tightly.

“This isn’t possible,” Thor grunted.

Hela laughed. “Darling, you have no _idea_ what’s possible.”

She clenched it tightly, letting a burst of power flow through her hand. The poisoned _seidr_ nearly sent Loki stumbling back – poisoned as it might have been, it was incredibly powerful. The hammer’s head crumpled in on itself, and a force exploded from within it. The pieces fell to the ground. Hela ran her hands over her head to create an antlered headpiece that Loki had seen in the records earlier.

“We have to go back,” he said, glancing at the sky. The Bifrost appeared around them even as Thor cried out a warning. They zoomed upwards, and Loki glanced at Thor, who signalled that Hela was behind him.

Loki flung his daggers in quick succession and she knocked them away, barely hindered by the sudden attack. She swung her hand across, and something hit him square in the chest, sending him flying out of the Bifrost.

He tried to change form, but found himself unable to. It must be the shock, he thought. He sorely hoped that he didn’t end up on another land like that of the Chitauri.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Odin is far from the perfect father, or king for that matter, but he tried to do right by Thor and Loki. This is just me acknowledging his effort, though he failed massively on many accounts. Especially concerning Hela.  
> *ducks behind table*


	24. Crisis in Asgard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year to everyone!!!

Sigyn did not need to see the newcomer to know that they meant no good – she could have felt the dark magic from Vanaheim. She reached out cautiously, and recoiled almost immediately from the force of death around them. So this was Hela. She shot into the room and threw open the cupboard, taking the supplies she and Loki had set aside for circumstances like these.

In a few minutes, she snuck out of the palace with a single satchel. They had reinforced it with spells to hold more than what it looked like it could hold. Dimensional magic was more Loki’s specialty than hers, but she could work with it well enough. She should have been in Jotunheim, but a sudden blip in the archive system had caused her to stay back and take care of the issue.

She crept into the library, which was dark and fortunately unoccupied. All the records – even the handwritten ones – had digital backups, and Sigyn had unrestricted access to the system, since she was the one who had developed it. She swept her hand across the holographic interface and waited impatiently as the records were transferred to a storage device.

She also sent a copy of the records to the Vanir Council. They would ensure that they would not be destroyed. A relay flashed, and Sigyn pulled out the small cuboid that resembled a Midgardian hard drive. Tucking it inside the satchel, she pulled the hood of her cloak up and ran.

...

The voice was audible even from the back of the palace. “It’s come to my attention that you don’t know who I am.” Sigyn slowed to a stop, figuring that it would do no harm to listen. “I am Hela, Odin’s firstborn, Commander of the legions of Asgard, the _rightful-”_ she lingered distastefully on the word – “heir to the throne, and the goddess of Death.”

A pause. Sigyn wasn’t impressed by the statement, she knew this already. “My father is dead,” Hela continued, “as are the princes. You’re welcome.”

Sigyn’s heart almost stopped. “No,” she breathed. It wasn’t possible. The two princes were the most resilient people she knew. She’d thought Loki to be dead once, and he had returned to her in time. Then again, Hela was bitter and had a grudge against Odin. Why wouldn’t she take it out on his sons?

She picked up her pace again. If Hela found out that one of the princes was married, she would be the next target. There had been plans, of course. She and Loki had prepared well for that. The people had already started evacuating to the stronghold since the brothers had left. She stumbled over the rocks and nearly fell into a bear pit when someone pulled her back. “My lady.”

“Heimdall!” Sigyn automatically grabbed his forearms as she regained her balance. “Did you hear Hela’s speech?”

“I doubt anybody missed it.” He let her lead the way to the stronghold. She stopped in front of the steep face of the mountain. Some part of her registered the beautiful engraving of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. She knelt and drew her hand across the ground in a circular pattern.

Rune marks glowed where she touched the rock. A huge pair of doors rumbled open. The two of them entered the cavernous space. Sigyn nodded at the few families who were already there. They bowed before her. “My lady,” a young woman – Erica, she thought – said, “How fares the realm?”

Sigyn wondered how to break the news to them. “Hela Odinsdottir has come to reclaim the throne.”

A series of murmurs broke through the silence. She raised a hand and waited until the voices died away. “She claims that the Allfather and the princes…” here she stopped, unable to continue. “She claims that they are dead,” she finished, her voice breaking.

...

Loki landed on his back with a groan. He had suffered some injuries, but his _seidr_ was rapidly healing them, so those weren’t much of an issue. He lay on the ground for a few moments, not moving, before opening his eyes. Above him, the sky was peppered with wormholes, supposedly like the one he had fallen through. He propped himself up on his elbows, frowning. The world seemed unlike any he had heard of, but then again, there were many worlds in the universe.

He was simply relieved that he hadn’t landed on the Sanctuary again. He wouldn’t last a second ordeal, he knew as much.

In the distance, a huge chunk of metal fell to the ground with a loud crash. Loki stood and dusted himself off. He seemed to be standing on a pile of scrap metal. It appeared that he had landed on a junkyard. “Great,” he muttered. “Of all the placed the universe has to offer, I land on an intergalactic dumpster.”

Something was flying in his direction, and as it neared, he could see that it was a ship of some sort. The ship was sleek, and looked like it had been pieced together from different other spacecrafts. A door opened on the side, and a figure stepped out. A man with silver hair, wearing possibly the shiniest robes Loki had seen. A woman followed him, carrying a giant stick with a ball mounted on it.

The man grinned at him amiably. “I’m really glad we found you before the, uh, others.”

“Others?” Loki echoed. The man nodded. Loki shook his head. “What is this place?”

“It’s called Sakaar,” the man replied merrily. “It’s at the edge of the known universe. Like a sort of… collection point for all lost things. Everyone here is one of those lost beings, including you, now. I, uh, guess it’s time for introductions,” he continued, “I am the Grandmaster, and this is Topaz. I’m the creator of this place. Someone came through a while back, called me the ‘OG Lost Boy’. Didn’t sound like a compliment, mind you, but I like it.”

Loki blinked. “Okay,” he said slowly, trying to wrap his head around the new information. “I’m Loki.”

“Great!” The Grandmaster clapped his hands together. “Now that we’re all acquainted, let’s get this show on the road!”

...

Loki quickly conformed to the rules of the place. He realised that all the Grandmaster wanted him to do was mingle with the crowd. He could do that. Every so often, though, he helped him with odd jobs, doing him a few favours, rising through the ranks, if there were any. The Grandmaster flirted, but he usually replied in a polite and engaging manner, making his intentions quite clear.

But while he tried to ignore the passing days, he sometimes stared into the distance, hoping to find a way back to the known universe. Back to Sigyn. He wondered what was happening now, since Hela would have made her way back.

The Grandmaster noticed these periods of silence and confronted him about them one day. There was nothing to do but tell him the story. He left out huge parts, of course, but the other man got the gist. He kept a little more distance between him since then (thankfully), though he was no less chatty. At least the flirting decreased, though it was hard to tell given the man’s normal behaviour. At least he wasn’t one of the man’s conquests, he mused.

 

One day, Loki was amusing a group of aliens with a story about his early battles when he heard a familiar voice call for him. His heart almost stopped. He glanced at the speaker, barely able to believe his eyes (and ears). “Excuse me for a moment,” he said, and hurried over to his brother.

“Loki,” Thor called again. Loki shushed him and asked, in a low voice, “You’re alive?”

“Yes, of course I’m alive.”

“What are you doing here?”

“What do you mean, what am I doing? I’m stuck in this stupid chair.” Thor paused for a second. “Where’s your chair?”

“I didn’t get a chair,” Loki replied in a low voice.

“Get me out of this one.”

“I can’t.”

“What?”

“I’ve made friends with this man… the Grandmaster?” Thor nodded. “Also, I don’t know how to get you out.”

“The man’s crazy!” Thor hissed.

“Well, I’ve gained his favour,” he said in hushed tones. “The Bifrost brought me out here weeks ago.”

Thor looked stunned. “Weeks? I just got here.”

“What are you whispering about?” said a third voice beside them. The two brothers jumped, or rather, Loki did, and Thor simply looked startled, immobilised as he was. The Grandmaster had appeared next to them suddenly. “Time works real different around these parts,” he said cheerfully. “On any other world, I’d be, like, millions of years old, but here on Sakaar…”

He shot them a meaningful look. Loki looked extremely uncomfortable, and the Grandmaster continued, “In any case, you know this, um, you call yourself Lord of Thunder?”

“ _God_ of thunder,” Thor corrected. “Tell him.”

Loki panicked, something that he prided himself on never doing. “I’ve never met this man in my life,” he blurted, and mentally kicked himself.

“He’s my brother,” Thor said, staring at Loki incredulously.

“Adopted,” he amended.

“Is he any kind of a fighter?” The Grandmaster asked. Loki silently thanked the Norns that he had other priorities. He shrugged noncommittally.

“You take this thing out of my neck and I’ll show you,” Thor said. Loki was seriously contemplating the number of ways he could stab Thor with a butterfly knife (thank you, Natasha).

The Grandmaster laughed. “Now listen to that. He’s threatening me. Hey, Sparkles, here’s the deal. If you wanna get back to As-place, Asburg-”

“As _gard_ -”

“Any contender who defeats my champion,” he lingered on the word long enough for it to sound almost sinister, “their freedom they shall win.”

“Fine,” Thor grumbled. “Then point me in the direction of whoever’s arse I have to kick.”

“That’s what I call, contender! Direction would be this way, _Lord_.”

The chair began to move away from them.

“Loki!” Thor exclaimed, but all he could do was watch as the guards escorted him away.

...

Sigyn crouched behind a rock as she waited for the Aesir family to come closer. They were running, so she figured that they were being chased by Hela’s soldiers. Hood still on, she stepped out into view, pulling out her whip. It cracked loudly, drawing their attention to her.

They let out animalistic growls and charged. She dodged the attacks easily, lashing out with her whip and cleaving them into half with a few simple fluid movements. She turned to the family, who had a small child with them, and let her hood down. They started to bow when they saw who she was, but she stopped them.

“I know a safe place where you can stay,” she said. “Follow me, be careful, and be quiet.”

...

“Odin, I bid you take your place in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave shall live forever. Nor shall we mourn but rejoice-”

“For those that have died the glorious death,” Loki finished with him.

Thor turned to face him and slumped against the metal wall.

“I should have told you about Odin. It was wrong of me to keep it from you,” Loki said. He couldn’t meet Thor’s eyes. “And… I know how it feels, being lied to. Being told you’re one thing and then learning it’s all a fiction.”

Thor idly threw a stone in his direction. It passed straight through him. He sighed. “I couldn’t actually come here,” Loki explained. “This place is disgusting.”

Thor did not appreciate the attempt at humour. Loki sighed. “Look, I couldn’t jeopardise my position with the Grandmaster, it took me time to win his trust. He’s a lunatic, but he can be amenable.”

“That’s not the problem here,” Thor said. He looked slightly exasperated.

“Is this about the fact that I said I didn’t know you at all? Because I panicked back there, and-”

“No, that isn’t it either. Though I was surprised, you normally never _panic._ ”

“Then what-”

“You called for the Bifrost!” Thor shouted. “When Hela was within reach! Now the two of us are trapped here, and we can do nothing.”

Loki, strangely, was calm, though his voice was strained as he spoke. “I know. It’s my fault that she’s back. But you read the tomes I showed you – how Hela almost destroyed an entire legion simply because her ambition exceeded Odin’s. She did it all single-handedly. I didn’t want us to face her alone.”

Thor looked bewildered. Loki laughed, a little desperately. “I didn’t think – Thor, I’m genuinely afraid of what she can do. She destroyed your hammer like a piece of glass. I don’t know if we can stop her.”

“But we have to try,” Thor replied. “Everyone we know is there.”

 _You don’t have to remind me_ , Loki thought. “Well, the most you can do now is prepare for your fight. I’m not risking breaking you out without a secure plan. And, I haven’t seen this _champion_ he talks of, but apparently he’s astonishingly savage.”

Thor nodded, but it looked like he wasn’t really listening.

Loki sighed. “Just… be careful. And don’t do anything rash or foolish.”

...

The gates to the stronghold opened, and Sigyn looked up from the child she was tending to. A lone figure stood in the entryway. The doors shut behind him as he entered, blocking out any light. The fires, which had gone out when the doors had opened, flickered back into life.

Sigyn stood to greet the old Gatekeeper. “Have you got it?”

Heimdall pulled out a gleaming weapon from where it was strapped to his back. Hofund. Sigyn laughed in relief, and he smiled. “It was left unguarded. Rather careless of them.”

“And fortunate for us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to make it clear, I don't ship Loki/Grandmaster  
> The next chapter comes up on Friday as usual


	25. Arena Fight

He was late, but only slightly. The Grandmaster had insisted that he had access to front row seats to watch the contest with him, and he couldn’t deny it, seeing as he would get a better view of Thor hopefully not being pummelled to death. Loki wove through the crowd with practised ease. He turned his gaze towards the arena, where a giant projection of the Grandmaster was announcing the contestants.

“I give you, Lord of Thunder!”

A pair of doors opened to reveal Thor, who had gone through a drastic change. His hair was cropped short, and he had read streaks across one side of his face that looked like paint or some kind of powder. His armour was of Sakaarian style, but Loki could see that it had been randomly chosen, since the greaves did not match and the breastplate was completely different from the rest of the ensemble. His cape appeared to be the only part of his ensemble that was his own.

Thor had two retractable swords strapped to his back, and was carrying a mace and a large rectangular shield. He pulled out a helmet (which even had the trademark _wings_ ) and slipped it on.

Loki hated this. He knew that gladiatorial arenas were common in some parts of the universe, but he loathed them with every fibre of his being. Slavery – since that’s what it was – was one of the few things that could actually spike his temper. (Sigyn had once described said temper as a dormant volcano – mostly non-existent, until it exploded in a destructive rage. The simile was, as far as Loki remembered, accurate enough, considering that the last person to be on its receiving end had been left a weeping mess for the next week.)

And now his own brother was a gladiator. Thor hated killing for sport as much as he did – both of them never hunted unless necessary – and having to slay a random stranger in order to ensure his own safety would have grated against Thor’s nature to protect those around him. Loki could honestly not tell which of the two brothers was more distressed by this turn of events, though both of them hid it well.

“Okay, this is it,” The Grandmaster announced. “Let’s get ready. Here he comes. He is a creature. What can we say about him? Well, he’s unique. There’s none like him. I feel a special connection with him. He’s undefeated. He’s the reigning, he defending… Everyone, I give you your incredible…”

Loki watched in mute shock as the Hulk ploughed his way through the doors and roared. He faintly registered that he was wearing Spartan-esque gladiatorial armour, with a matching war hammer. The sight was too much for Loki. “I have to get off this planet,” he muttered, and backed away from the window. He nearly knocked over the Grandmaster in his haste to get away. “Hey, hey hey!” The Grandmaster said, frowning. “Where are you going?”

Loki felt like staging some kind of illness and planning an escape, but pulled the last strands of his will together and sat down to watch the fight. He tried his best to look casual (and had a sinking feeling that he failed completely).

“YES!” came a shout from inside the arena. Loki hid his face behind his hand, trying to avoid the Grandmaster’s confused look. He cleared his throat nervously, barely stopping himself from squirming in his seat.

“Hey!” Thor yelled. “We know each other. He’s a friend from work!”

Then, he turned to speak to the Hulk directly, which almost made Loki lose his resolve and bolt. “Where have you been? Everybody thought you were dead! So much has happened since I last saw you.”

_What is happening?_

“I lost my hammer, like, yesterday, so, that’s still pretty fresh. And Loki’s up there – Loki! Look who it is!”

The Hulk turned to him with such a menacing look that he went white, petrified. But Banner was his friend, right?

“Banner!” Thor called over the chanting chorus of “Hulk! Hulk!”.

“Hey, Banner!”

“No Banner, only Hulk,” the Hulk growled. Well, that cleared things up. He charged at Thor. “What are you doing?” Thor asked. “It’s me!”

He dodged Hulk’s first few attacks before pulling out the swords. He tried to fight back, but the Hulk smashed them with his war hammer. Loki tried not to think of the irony of losing a hammer and then losing _to_ a hammer as the Hulk slowly beat Thor back. Thor suddenly ripped the hammer from Hulk’s hand and walloped him with it.

The green beast crashed into the stands, denting the metal. He looked dazed.

“What?” The Grandmaster said, clearly taken aback by the turn of events. Loki allowed himself to feel a glimmer of hope. Maybe his brother could defeat the Hulk after all.

Thor set aside the hammer and walked up to the Hulk slowly. “Hey, big guy,” he said gently, “The sun’s getting real low.”

There was a pained smile on his face. Loki’s jaw dropped. The only people he knew who could subdue the Hulk were Natasha and Sigyn. For a moment, it seemed to be working. “That’s it,” Thor encouraged, holding out his hand. “The sun’s going down. I won’t hurt you anymore, no one will.”

The Hulk reached out and took Thor’s hand. Everyone was holding their breaths, watching to see what would happen. Then, suddenly, Thor was yanked off his feet as the Hulk methodically smashed him to the ground, over and over again.

Loki could see the haze that preceded a vision, and saw something similar happen to him, in Tony’s penthouse. It must have been a lost timeline, he thought, and made an odd sound at the back of his throat as he leaped up from his seat. The Grandmaster looked at him concernedly.

“Oh, I’m, uh, a huge fan of the sport,” Loki stammered, feeling the back of his neck heat up.

The Grandmaster grinned, satisfied with the explanation, and Loki sat down again slowly. The Hulk had let go of his brother, who now appeared to have the upper hand.

“What’s the matter with you?” Thor yelled as he pummelled the Hulk. “You’re embarrassing me! I told them that we were friends!”

The Hulk punched Thor across the arena and started raining blows on him. Loki winced. Suddenly, electricity crackled along the thunderer’s fingers, and Thor knocked the Hulk back with a huge blast of lightning.

Loki raised his eyebrows. This was interesting. His brother had lost the ability to summon lightning without Mjolnir’s aid since…

Damn.

Thor beat the Hulk back with blows that were punctuated by forks of lightning. Loki heard a small click next to him as the Grandmaster slid out a control and pressed the button on it. Loki spun to look at Thor, who had crumpled to the ground.

It took him all of his willpower not to strangle the Grandmaster right there, and some hidden reserves of determination to keep his expression neutral.

The Hulk seized the advantage to leap high into the air, hoping to land on top of Thor and crush him beneath his weight. Loki looked away, unable to watch.

...

“Heimdall, I know you can see me,” Thor muttered, closing his eyes. His ribs stung – they were healing, but the process was slower than he would have liked. “I need you to help me. Help me see.”

He felt a great wind and stumbled back, opening his eyes. In the moment that he could see his reflection, he noticed that his eyes had gone amber, like his best friend’s. The scene around him melted away. He was on Asgard. He turned slowly to see Heimdall in the shadows of a stone wall. Heimdall shushed him and gestured towards the wall for him to join. Thor complied, noticing the others for the first time.

“I see you, but you are far away,” Heimdall said in a low voice.

“What’s going on here?”

“Come see for yourself.” Thor gazed at the gardens below. Most of the trees were on fire. He felt a pang in his chest – Loki loved the palace orchards. “I’m providing refuge in a stronghold built by our ancestors,” he explained. “Your brother helped me set this up when he started getting visions.”

“Visions?” Thor was confused. Loki had explicitly stated that he couldn’t see into the future. Now that Thor thought about it, it had sounded like he had been trying to convince himself that more than Thor. An incident from two years ago rose behind his closed eyelids, unbidden.

_Ultron’s body had been destroyed, but the robots didn’t fall like the Chitauri had. Thor gazed out into the horizon. “Brother, we must leave. The city will fall soon.”_

_Loki didn’t respond. Thor turned to face him, and was taken aback by the glazed look in his eyes, which were... glowing? “Loki?” He waved a hand in front of his brother’s face, with no response. Thor frowned. “Loki? Loki!”_

_The god of mischief gasped and blinked rapidly, stumbling back a few steps._

_“Are you alright?” Thor asked._

_“I think I just discovered the consequences for diving into the Water of Sight,” Loki replied cryptically, and ran inside._

Thor shook his head, registering the other important detail in Heimdall’s statement. “You’re talking about evacuating Asgard?”

“We won’t last long if we stay.”

Thor was dismayed.

“She draws her power from Asgard and grows stronger every day.”

“How long has it been?”

“A couple of days. Not very long. But Hela is ravenous. If I let her leave, she’ll consume the Nine Realms and all the cosmos. We need you.”

Thor paused. “Loki’s here with me. If anyone can help me find a way out, he can. But I don’t even know where I am.”

“You’re on a planet surrounded by gateways,” Heimdall said impatiently. “Go through one.”

“Which one?”

Heimdall sliced through a random creature that had appeared before them. “The big one!”

...

Glass shattered just as Loki found the right entrance to Hulk’s… suite?

He put two and two together as the Hulk leaped out of the large window and realised that Thor had probably gone first. “Well, there go my careful plans,” he muttered. A woman who had been watching silently started badly.

“Who are you?” she asked. “No, wait, I know you, you’re the guy’s brother, Lackey.”

“Loki,” he corrected automatically. He didn’t really care about her mispronouncing his name. “You’re the scrapper the Grandmaster’s always talking about. Scrapper 142.”

“Yep.” She didn’t look too happy about it. She pulled out a large decanter (about half her size) and unstoppered it. Loki watched, fascinated, as she chugged down its entire contents in a matter of seconds.

“Wow,” he said. “That is impressive, and I say that as the person who watched Thor almost drink up an entire ocean once.”

The scrapper shrugged. Loki’s eyes were drawn to a mark on her wrist that he recognised. “You’re a Valkyrie,” he said, astonished. “But I thought they all were-” he stopped, mindful of the murderous look she shot him. He raised his hands in surrender. “No questions,” he promised.

“There better not be,” she said, jumping down from the platform. “Now, we have to go to the Grandmaster and explain how not one, but two of his prized contestants managed to get away from us.”

“Ah, that’s not going to be pleasant,” Loki muttered with a grimace.

“You bet it won’t be.”

The two of them walked through the door, when Loki stopped. He had an idea. “What is it?” the scrapper asked.

“I can cast an illusion to make it look like I’m still with you, and I’ll go search for them. Just make sure that the Grandmaster gives us a bit of time to search.”

She raised an eyebrow, the _leaving me to deal with him alone?_ going unspoken. “And how do I do that?”

“I’m sure you can think of something,” he said, already moving away. He was at the windowsill when he called back, “While I said ‘no questions’, I have to know, do you go by Scrapper 142 now?”

She blinked. “Call me Val,” she said decisively. “It’s not like there are other Valkyries around. And it’s short.”

“Okay, Val,” Loki said, feet dangling outside. “Let’s find some champions.”

He propelled himself into a free fall and heard her yell, “That’s my job!” He chuckled, swiftly letting the shift wash over him.

A hawk seemed fit for the occasion. He swept a gaze over the ground below, knowing that some of his power was maintaining the illusion well and taking care not to over-exert himself as he wove through the falling scrap.

Then he saw it. The Quinjet. Thor almost certainly would have gone there. He swooped down and noticed two figures heading towards a larger crowd. In a few moments, they had disappeared amongst the parade. Loki changed back and cursed fluently. He caught sight of Bruce – when had the Hulk changed back? – who was making no effort to stay concealed (why should he? It wasn’t as though anybody here knew who he was).

He grabbed him by the shoulder. Bruce leapt about a foot into the air. “Loki?” he spluttered, when he had calmed down. “I didn’t know you were here.”

“Hopefully we’ll be gone soon,” Loki muttered distractedly. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too,” Bruce said. He eyed the clouds of green smoke carefully. “Feels like I’m back in India.”

“Any particular reason?”

“Some of them celebrate this festival called Holi,” he pronounced the word carefully. “Part of it involves playing with colour. It’s pretty fun, though getting the colour out of your skin and hair can be a pain.”

“Ah.” Loki spotted Thor, and signalled his brother to come back to them. He had a towel over his head. Thor nodded at Loki, unsurprised by this turn of events. “Well? What do we do next?”

But Loki was frowning at his brother. “What’s the towel for?”

“It’s my disguise.”

“But I can see your face.”

“Not when I do this, you can’t,” Thor said, covering half his face with the scarf. Loki burst out laughing, even though it wasn’t so funny. He blamed the heat. “Well, we have to go,” he said, wiping tears from his eyes. He pointedly ignored Bruce’s concerned frown.

“Go where?”

“First, we’re staying at Val’s and forming a plan. I’m not trying to escape without a full-fledged idea. Then, next stop, Asgard.”

“Okay,” Thor said slowly. “Who’s Val?”

...

“So, what did he say?”

Val turned from the illusion which was standing still in front of her. She swept her hand through it, and it fell away.

“Sorry, but it was kind of creepy. Uh… nothing much – he’s upset, and wants us to turn in this guy and his beloved champion in an hour.”

“Well, we already know that’s not happening.”

There was a _schink_ of metal against metal as Thor pulled out a sword from its scabbard. “Is that a Dragonfang?”

“It is,” Val said flatly.

“My God.” He looked at Loki excitedly, and Loki remembered that the Valkyries had been Thor’s heroes when they were kids. He shook his head, amused. “The famed sword of the Valkyrie,” Thor said in an awestruck voice.

“Is he fangirling?” Bruce whispered. Loki nodded gleefully.

“He’s idolised them since we were kids. Although, to be fair, so did I.”

“Sakaar and Asgard are about as far apart as two known systems. Our best bet is a wormhole just outside the city limits.” Val was staring out of the window as she spoke. She moved towards a counter and pulled out a bottle of… whatever was the Sakaarian equivalent of beer.

“That one?” Loki pointed to one of them – clean and bright pink. She nodded. “Refuel on Xandar and be back in Asgard about 18 months.”

“That’s far too long,” Loki said. He didn’t want to leave Sigyn and his people at Hela’s mercy for longer than he already had. “Is there any other way?”

“Yup,” Thor said. “We take the big one.”

Val spat out her drink. Loki followed where Thor was pointing and paled as he saw the huge swirling mess of a wormhole.

“The Devil’s Anus?” Val asked, flabbergasted.

Thor and Loki stared at her for a moment in silence. Loki found the name was oddly fitting for the monstrosity that loomed outside. “For the record,” Thor said, “I didn’t know it was called that when I picked it.”

“That looks like a collapsing neutron star inside of an Einstein-Rosen bridge,” Bruce said excitedly.

“Well, we’ll need another ship,” Val said. “That would tear mine into pieces.”

“She’s right,” Thor said. “We need one that can withstand the geodetic strain from the singularity.”

Bruce nodded. “And has an offline power steering system that could also function without the on-board computer,” he added.

“And we need one with cup holders, because we’re going to die,” Val said cheerfully. “So, drinks!”

“Do I know you? I feel like I know you.”

“I feel like I know you, too, it’s weird.”

Thor turned to Bruce. “What do you say, doctor? Uncharted metagalactic travel through a volatile cosmic gateway. Talk about an adventure.”

Thor went in for a fist bump, while Bruce high-fived him. Loki turned away, trying not to laugh.

“We need a ship,” they said in unison.

“There are one or two ships, absolute top-of-the-line models,” Val began.

Loki shook his head. “Well, we could always use the Grandmaster’s.”

Silence.

“He has an entire fleet of ships,” he continued. “And I may have stolen the access codes to his security system.”

“And you can do it without setting off any alarms,” Thor said doubtfully.

“ _Yes_ , brother,” Loki said, dragging out the words in annoyance. “I can.”

“If we’re boosting a ship, we’ll need to draw some guards away from the palace.”

“I have just the plan. We’re going to start a revolution.”

“A revolution?”

“I’ll explain later.”

“Who’s this guy again?” Val asked, gesturing towards Bruce.

“I’ll explain later.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, there's no Sigyn in this chapter, but now the Revengers met for the first time so there's that  
> I needed a reason for Thor to be able to have visions, and I think it's because he jumped into the Water of Sight. The reason he still gets visions after years is because he was inside for much longer than he should have been, aka when he nearly drowned  
> And Loki gets random visions too, some of them are of possible futures, others are memories surrounding the Void and the Sanctuary, and others are alternate realities (hello MCU canon)
> 
> Oh, also, this isn't building up to Bruce/Thor, but you can read into it as you will
> 
> Also I may or may not update twice a week from now on - my winter break will end this weekend and I may not get time to post during weekdays, though I will update every Friday till the end of this story


	26. No One Escapes

“Heimdall told me that you were seeing visions,” Thor said abruptly, figuring that he’d have a better chance of getting a serious reply if he caught his brother off-guard. They _were_ communicating better, but it was still a work in progress.

Loki stilled, taken aback. “When?”

“This morning. If it was a morning. A few hours ago. I called for his help, and he responded. But you didn’t answer my question.”

“Well, you didn’t ask one.” Thor waited patiently, knowing that his brother was thinking of a way to phrase his thoughts. “I’ve been seeing them periodically – glimpses of the future, or of times that never were. Other possibilities that can never happen. Other timelines, and not all of them are as pleasant as this.”

“Since when?”

“Since the Waters of Sight. Remember Sokovia? When I ran inside to activate all the vortex bombs?”

Thor nodded. “I thought as much. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Loki hesitated. “I - I didn’t want to trouble you. You were already looking for the Infinity Stones. And, besides, my memories are returning, and I was too caught up between that and ruling Asgard.”

Loki peered around the corner before moving towards the opposite corridor. He supposed that he could use illusions, but it was better to be cautious. His magic was unstable on Sakaar, for some reason. He quickly tapped in the security code to open the first gates. It slid open easily.

The next one was a bit of a challenge, since a few guards tried to intercept them. They worked in silence, systematically knocking them cold and taking their weapons. “Cover me,” Loki said, as he turned his back on an approaching squad to punch in the next code. They switched the controls on the blasters to non-lethal as the doors slid open, to reveal more guards.

“Hello,” Thor said.

“Hi.” They fired in unison, blasting through the forces easily.

“When you spoke to Heimdall-” the next gate opened, and Loki stepped back as a guard pointed his weapon at him. Thor dispatched him by throwing him into the ceiling. Loki watched as the guard fell to the ground before stepping over him. “Did he happen to tell you…”

“Sigyn’s fine,” Thor said immediately. There was an elevator at the other end of the corridor, which was mercifully empty. “He told me to tell you that.”

Loki relaxed. “How long has it been for them?”

“A few days. Not long at all.”

“She would have gone to the stronghold, then.”

“I don’t – how did you know you’d need them? And why haven’t I heard of this stronghold?”

“Prophetic dreams, remember? I had a feeling we’d need a space for evacuation. Heimdall was checking on the extra food storages. I had two years on Asgard’s throne, and Odin’s private library is quite informative. As were the new texts about the fall of the Valkyries.”

“Brother, this might actually work with your foresight and good planning.”

Loki nodded. “If we do achieve this, it probably will be one of the best things I’ve done.”

“Well, you _have_ done a lot of great things.” Loki grinned shyly, unused to direct praise. An idea struck Thor. “Hey, let’s do ‘Get Help’.”

“What?” The topic change threw him off completely.

“‘Get Help’,” Thor repeated.

“No,” was the immediate response.

“Come on, you love it.” Thor nudged his brother in the side, backing away when Loki glared at him (that particular glare meant that he wouldn’t hesitate to pull a dagger out and stab him).

“I hate it.”

“It’s great! It works every time.”

“It’s _humiliating_.”

“Do you have a better plan?”

“…no.”

“We’re doing it.”

“We are _not_ doing ‘Get Help’. We probably wouldn’t need it anyway.”

“But what if we do?”

Loki glared at Thor, who shrugged meekly.

...

The door opened with an apparently universal ‘ding’.

“Get help! Please!” Thor yelled, drawing the attention of some guards. “My brother, he’s dying.”

One of the guards pointed a gun at them. “Get help!” Thor added for good measure. “Help him!” And with that, he used all his strength to launch Loki at them. They fell like bowling pins. Loki rolled off them and stood, pulling the neckline of his armour to adjust it.

“Classic,” Thor laughed.

“I still hate it,” Loki snapped. “It’s humiliating.”

“Not for me, it’s not.”

Loki cuffed him around the head. He chuckled. “Which one’s the ship she told us to get?”

Loki pointed at a disc-shaped starship. It was obviously new. “The Commodore.”

He stepped on the gangplank, and a high pitched whine made them wince. He swore under his breath.

“You forgot to disengage the alarms,” Thor said resignedly.

“I forgot to disengage the alarms,” Loki said at the same time.

Thor ran towards the ship and mounted it easily, while Loki set about reprogramming another. “What are you doing?” Thor asked him.

“Well, we might need to evacuate Asgard. We’ll need a bigger ship if we want to take everyone.”

Thor nodded and made way as Loki slammed his hand on the button that lowered the shutters. A moment’s pause, before he drew an old dagger of his, along with some pen and paper. He scribbled a message onto it and speared it into the wall. The dagger itself was no loss, it was one of Midgard’s standard issued ones. Loki slid into the pilot’s seat of the Commodore and expertly handled the controls.

“Unauthorised departure,” the alarms called in a monotone that seemed universal.

Loki pushed forward on the throttle and they zoomed out of the garage.

...

“Asgardians, some misguided soul has stolen the Bifrost sword. Tell us where it is, or there will be consequences.” Skurge paused. “Bad ones.”

Sigyn raised an eyebrow. That was obvious enough.

“Well?”

The newly appointed executioner was met by silence. Sigyn felt a swell of pride for her people. Hela glanced up then, from beside the large wolf next to her. “You.” She pointed at someone in Sigyn’s general direction. The guards who were patrolling the perimeter pulled her out of the crowd and shoved her forward.

The others gasped, not expecting their queen to be among the bedraggled group, but made no move. She stumbled, but remained standing with a defiant tilt to her chin. Skurge was looking elsewhere, not meeting her eyes. It was just as well, really. She hoped he wouldn’t give away her identity.

Not that it mattered much if she was about to die anyway.

“Well? _Executioner_?”

Skurge still didn’t meet her eyes as Hela’s soldiers forced her to her knees. He raised his axe, ready to swing it, when someone cried out, “Wait!”

Sigyn closed her eyes. _Don’t you dare_.

“I know where the sword is.”

...

Heimdall would warn them, of course. Sigyn was plotting a course of action as Hela and Skurge were led to the stronghold. Carr had showed them the route, and Hela led the way. Sigyn saw the tree roots in front of her and decided what to do. She pretended to stumble and fall, and when Skurge grunted impatiently she swept his legs out from under him.

Hela whirled around and tossed a sword at her. She rolled out of the way, not bothering to retaliate. Skurge picked up his axe and started to swing it, but she made the handle grow hot and burn him. The executioner dropped it with a yell. Hela summoned many other weapons, and Sigyn deflected them with her shields. She ducked behind the tree, barely avoiding a large spear as it lodged itself into the trunk.

She spun on her heel and ran, knowing the next meeting point. She had briefed them on where they should meet in case they were found. Skurge made to follow, but Hela raised a hand. “Let her go. Perhaps she’ll lead us to the right place if we give her the impression that she’s lost us.”

...

Nobody knew the secret paths in Asgard as well as Loki did. However, Sigyn came pretty close. She cut through the line of trees that concealed a small tunnel, one that looked too small for her to fit through, before stripping away the glamour on it.

She ducked through the path, knowing that Hela would be following her, and felt a chill settle over her as she entered the path. A few moments later, she emerged in the cavern, just next to the doors.

“My lady,” Heimdall said. “I have alerted everyone to Hela’s presence here.”

“She’ll come here next.”

“She already is.”

The cavern was empty. “I assume they’re all outside?”

“They are waiting for you. Just next to the second exit.”

“Then let’s go.”

“Where to, my lady?”

Sigyn eyed the large sword on Heimdall’s back. “The Bifrost. We leave for Vanaheim.”

...

As they dodged fire, Loki called, “Remember the last time we did this?”

“Yeah,” Thor called back. “You don’t really forget an invasion by a dead race.”

“You crashed into every bridge,” Loki reminisced happily.

“Don’t you have to focus on not crashing this now?” Thor grumbled.

A voice came through the radio. “Open the door.”

Loki flipped a switch with barely a glance. “You might want to hold on to something,” he said, as they spun vertically to avoid the close fire. Thor staggered towards a seat and gripped its back tightly, swearing softly. “I thought you said you were a good pilot?” he grumbled.

They vaguely heard screaming as Bruce shot straight into the ceiling. He fell, managing to hold on and climb into the cockpit and strap himself into a seat as Loki did another barrel roll. The trickster looked back and raised an eyebrow. Thor sighed. “I take it back, you are an _exceptional_ pilot.”

“That had better not be sarcasm.”

“Shouldn’t we be shooting back or something?” Bruce yelled.

“Where are the guns on this ship?” Thor shouted.

“There aren’t any,” Loki yelled back. “It’s a leisure vessel!”

“ _What?”_ Thor and Bruce asked in unison.

“The Grandmaster uses it for his good times,” Val said over the radio. “Orgies and stuff.”

Thor shot Loki a quizzical look.

“Okay, I know what you’re thinking, and it isn’t how it sounds. The Grandmaster was trying to impress a few of his companions, and he asked me to be his pilot while he was… otherwise occupied.”

“Don’t touch anything,” Thor said to Bruce, before adding, “And you happened to remember the one without weapons.”

“Most of those ships _don’t have weapons_! He’s a slaver and game-runner, not a warrior!”

“Right,” Thor said disbelievingly.

Loki shot an icy look at Thor. A huge explosion caused the Grandmaster’s riot controlling ship to shake, distracting him before he could retort. “No!” Thor yelled. Val’s ship, _Warsong_ , had been the heart of the explosion.

However, Loki had seen a figure fly out of the explosion. He swerved just right and Val landed on the windshield. The others screamed in shock.

“Get inside!” Loki yelled.

“In a minute!” Val released herself from the secure grip and landed on a ship behind them. She began to hack brutally at the wiring with Dragonfang and leaped onto another ship. Thor joined her, and between the two of them they caused enough damage to throw off all the other ships from their chase.

All except one, that is. Topaz was right on their tail, and Loki couldn’t shake her off. “Uh, what do we do?” Bruce asked, panicking slightly. He noticed a large button with a picture of what looked like sparks, or an explosion. “That looks like a gun,” he muttered, and pressed it.

A chorus of high pitched “IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!” erupted around them from speakers, jarring Loki’s already sensitive hearing. Bruce jumped, and Loki swerved, barely missing a heap of metal. The string of curse words that Loki hissed not quite under his breath for the next minute or so was impressive, or would be to anyone who knew each of the fifteen languages he borrowed from. Bruce glanced outside as Loki brought them back on course. He tapped the Asgardian’s shoulder to get his attention. The swearing stopped immediately. Topaz had been distracted by the fireworks display and had crashed into the heap.

Loki looked impressed. “Yeah!” Bruce yelled. Loki pulled him down into a seat by his blazer. “You might want to sit down now,” he said, as Thor and Val landed.

He closed the doors. “Here we go!” Val cried, strapping herself into the co-pilot’s seat.

The circuits shorted out just then, with a shower of sparks. Loki pulled his hands away from the controls quickly, sharing a glance with Val. They all looked nervous, since it seemed that the ship could be torn apart. The swirling mass of colour and light did nothing to help Loki, who felt his senses slowly dialling higher and higher by the second.

The ship was suddenly thrown out of the wormhole into outer space, which was thankfully dark and quiet. Loki sagged backwards in his seat, going almost limp with relief. “Anyone wants to take a break, there’s a back room there.”

...

Thor was idly flipping through a series of holograms in the back of the ship. The door hissed open and Loki joined him. “Bruce said he was coming. He’s looking for food. Being the Hulk takes a lot out of him.”

Thor nodded and stared at the hologram. Loki frowned at Thor and back at the hologram, which showed the Grandmaster caressing a few inflatable (or so they looked) tentacles. Loki sat, unable to tear his eyes away from the hologram.

“Hey!” Bruce announced. “I found some food. It looks really good too.”

The doors closed behind him. “So, how you doin’?”

“Uh, good, good,” Thor said distractedly. Bruce was munching on what appeared to be noodles. He stared at the hologram. When the noises started, he turned it off decidedly. “Just trying to focus.”

“Well, that does anything but help you focus,” Loki grumbled. “I won’t be able to forget that for another century, thank you very much.”

“Look, you know what my dad said to me, before he died?” Bruce asked.

“No,” Thor said.

“Well, me neither. I wasn’t there.” Thor wondered where he was going with this. “Because I was too busy obsessing over my gamma ray experiments.”

He paused. “I missed my own father’s death because I was focusing on my destiny.”

“But I didn’t miss my father’s death,” Thor said slowly, the confusion he felt mirroring Loki’s expression. “He was murdered right before me by my sister.”

“That’s not how I remember it,” Loki said. Bruce shook his head. “Okay, so what actually happened?”

“He… it was a natural death,” Loki said, looking fixedly at the table. One glance at Loki had Thor automatically reaching for his brother’s hand, to assure him that he was not at fault.  “He was near the end of his cycle, after all.”

“I didn’t know she existed,” Thor continued, “because she was kept secret from me my whole life.”

Bruce looked about as guilty as Loki did, though he suspected it was for completely different reasons.

“That was a _terrible_ comparison which had nothing to do with what you’re going through,” he muttered through a mouthful of food, proving him right.

“I don’t know if we can beat her,” Thor said.

“You’re Thor, of course you can kill your sister.” Loki gaped at the scientist. “What?” Bruce asked defensively.

“I’m Thor without his hammer.”

“You’re not the god of hammers,” Bruce said, shaking his head. “You’re Dumbo.”

Loki made a sound that could have been translated as laughter.

“That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

“It’s totally a compliment. Dumbo,” Bruce said. “ _Dumbo!”_

“Sounds like you’re calling me ‘dumbo’ over and over again.”

“Dumbo!” Bruce waved his hands near his ears.

“Say that once more and I’ll tear your head off,” Thor said calmly.

Loki snorted, thoroughly amused. “He means the movie,” he explained.

“The elephant!” Bruce cried, shooting a grateful look at Loki. “Who thinks he can fly because he has a magical feather, and then he loses the feather one day and he realises that it didn’t have anything to do with him flying at all!”

Thor nodded slowly.

“It was, like, what was inside him!” Bruce continued.

“You know, he’s got a point. You _can_ fly and channel your powers without Mjolnir.” Loki considered something else. “I give you permission to use Gungnir to its complete extent, by the way,” he added. “Since I wasn’t really dethroned before Hela shot us across the universe.”

“Why the staff?”

“Well, for one, I really don’t like it. While I can handle a regular staff, Gungnir feels… weird. And… you might need to use it against Hela.”

The doors slid open just them and Val nodded at Loki, who stood. “Excuse me, gentlemen,” he said, ducking below the entrance. “My shift awaits.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was editing this chapter earlier and apparently in the 'get help' section I'd written _'he used all his strength to **yeet** Loki at them'_ instead of 'launch' (first drafts amirite)
> 
> Also I hated the obedience disk thing, while it got at the theme of tricking the trickster, but I thought it was just plain nasty of Thor


	27. Hela vs. Asgard

A few hours later, the others left the back room and joined Loki in the front. They all gave into the day’s exhaustion, having set the ship on autopilot. Bruce was the first to wake, and the others followed slowly. The skyline moved from the crystal spires below to the gold above. The brothers automatically relaxed on seeing their home. “I never thought I’d be back here,” Val said in a tight voice.

They moved closer towards the realm, and more details became clear that wiped the nostalgia off their expressions.

“I thought it’d be nicer,” Bruce said hesitantly. “I mean, not that it’s not nice. It’s just, it’s on fire.”

 “She burned the gardens,” Loki said furiously. “Those were the groves of ash, rowan, oak and elm. I loved them.”

Thor placed a hand on Loki’s shoulder. “We can grow them back. After destroying Hela.”

Loki shook his head. “Mother’s private garden had special hybrids that couldn’t be replicated.”

Ah, so that’s why he was so angry. Thor patted Loki’s shoulder comfortingly, almost feeling sorry for Hela. His brother was quite the force to be reckoned with, especially since his rage was as destructive as the Hulk’s. Loki, in contrast to most of Asgard’s citizens (or at least the native citizens - Vanir settlers were not as bloodthirsty as native Aesir), rarely felt violent urges (if one overlooked the occasional stabbing). Which wasn’t to say that he was a bad fighter – it was in fact, quite the opposite.

Val was scanning for heat signatures. “Here, up in the mountains,” she called, pointing at a section of red dots that nearly overlapped each other. “People clustered together. Hela’s coming for them.”

Loki shrugged. “Not if it all went to plan,” he said. “I just hope it has.”

“I’m sorry, what plans?” Val asked.

“I had evacuation strategies in place. I like to be well-prepared. Heimdall and Sigyn would have taken everyone to the stronghold.”

“Looks like you’re not completely hopeless,” she said grudgingly.

“Um… thank you?”

“Anyway, you can drop me off at the palace and I’ll draw her away,” Thor said.

“And get yourself killed?”

“The people trapped down there are all that matters,” Thor said. He turned to look at Loki, who was scowling at him. He took the fact that Loki wasn’t arguing as a sign to continue talking. “While I’m dealing with Hela, I need you to help get everyone off Asgard.”

“And how do we do that?” Bruce asked.

“Leave that to me,” Loki said firmly. He directed the controls to land on the palace grounds, in the balcony of his chambers. Loki stripped down all the wards in the few moments Thor had gone inside. If they were going to leave the realm, Loki might as well use the extra energy from the wards. Thor returned to the ship with a large blaster.  Thor hefted the blaster onto the ship.

“Now the ship has guns.”

“I’ll take it from here,” Val said, realigning the barrel and turning it on. The mechanism hummed to life.

Thor hesitated before handing her a bundle of fabric and bronze plates. “I found this in the armoury,” he said.

Val was silent for a moment, staring at the bundle. “Don’t die,” she said at last.

Thor nodded, and started to walk away.

“Thor!” Loki called from the cockpit. Thor turned. “Be careful.”

Thor nodded and smiled. Loki directed the ship away from him, towards the Bifrost.

...

Thor walked through the throne room in silence.

Had it really been six years since his botched coronation? Since the _jotuns_ had invaded, throwing their lives into disarray? He strode towards some broken plaster. He glanced at the image it carried. His own face. He glanced up at the ceiling and gasped. Instead of a gaping hole, there were more frescoes, depicting a time he had never known.

His father, astride Sleipnir, wielding Gungnir, and Hela, atop a wolf. Wielding Mjolnir. Conquering the Nine Realms together. Thor had never thought about how Asgard had gotten all of its gold. He had been interested in theoretical sciences and languages, not tales of the past. Those were more Loki’s field of study. Loki had mentioned something about Asgard’s crusading days, but he hadn’t paid attention to the details. Loki would want to examine these murals, Thor knew, though it was growing unlikelier by the minute.

Now that Thor thought about it, it seemed that Asgard had been forged in blood.

...

Loki flew the ship over the Bifrost, noticing that the remaining citizens had been trapped between a legion of undead warriors and a giant wolf. _Fenris_ , Loki remembered. Val fired repeatedly at the beast. Fenris stopped for a moment, but the lasers were ineffective against his hide.

She stopped as Fenris shook off the impact and continued on his charge. “This stupid dog won’t die!”

“Bruce, take the wheel!” Loki yelled.

“Okay,” Bruce said, nervously sliding into the seat that Loki had just vacated. Loki stood at the edge of the ship. The wind whipped at his hair and cape. “What are you doing?” Val shouted.

“Trust me! I might be able to buy you some time!”

With that, he leaped gracefully onto the bridge below, rolling to absorb impact. He crouched so that Fenris wouldn’t barrel right into him. As the giant wolf passed over him, he changed form, trying something he’d never done before. He yelled as the change pulled at his joints, agonising unlike any other of his shifts. The yell turned into a snarl as, a few seconds later, he was a wolf to match Fenris’ size.

Fenris heard him and spun around, growling low in his throat, hackles raised. Loki charged first, wasting no time. The two of them slashed at each other, jaws snapping, fighting to the death.

...

“You see?” Hela shoved Thor towards the balcony’s ledge, holding him by the throat. “No one’s going anywhere. I’ll get that sword even if I have to kill every single one of them to do it.”

An ear-splitting scream echoed from the battlefield, and Thor felt his blood turn to ice. He didn’t have to worry for long, however, as he watched a second wolf grow to Fenris’ size and leaped into action. He grinned, despite how bleak the situation looked. Loki had done it again. Thor had seen Loki at both his best and worst, and knew exactly how powerful his brother was, but he’d never seen Loki grow in size as he shifted.

 

The Commodore crashed into the end of the Bifrost, while Asgard’s citizens huddled together. Many had drawn arms, ready to defend their loved ones. Sigyn drew her whip, pushing back the families with children. Ready to defend them to the end, if it were necessary. The enchanted material sang as it cut through the air.

Heimdall was knocked down to his knees, and eventually, a warrior managed to pin him down. The soldier raised his sword, but keeled over as something blasted him through. “Hey man,” said a Kronan from above him. “I’m Korg, this is Miek. We’re going to jump on that spaceship and get out of here. Want to come?”

 

Thor then noticed not one, but two ships that landed, stacked on top of each other, next to the Bifrost. He’d seen him reprogram a ship, possibly to follow them, but he hadn’t expected reinforcements as well. He could hear Loki’s delighted whoop even from the distance. Fenris snarled, snapping at the prince, but he rolled out of the way, changing back in time and slashing at him with razor-sharp claws.

Thor laughed weakly. Hela stabbed down, and he groaned as he _felt_ his life force draining. Back on the bridge, Loki was limping from a bad wound on one of his forelegs. Fenris charged at him, and he threw himself at the other wolf, knocking them both into the Gap. Thor felt a sudden stab of fear. It was much like watching Loki fall into the Void, all over again.

 From inside the Commodore, Bruce was firing, and Val had disembarked to slice off the heads of some of the undead warriors.

 “A valiant effort,” Hela said, observing the scene before her, “but you never stood a chance.”

Thor could see stardust in the sky above Hela. “You see?” she said. “I’m not a queen, or a monster.” Thor was slipping from one scene to another. The image of his father flashed before his eyes.

“I’m the goddess of death,” she completed. “What were you the god of again?”

She dug two blades through his chest. Thor screamed in agony, and suddenly he couldn’t feel it. He couldn’t feel a thing. The smell of earth filled his nostrils, as though it had just rained. _Petrichor_. He was kneeling, on grass. But where…? He opened his eye and saw that he was back in Norway. Odin stood a few feet before him. “Even when you had two eyes you could only see half the picture.”

“She’s too strong,” Thor gasped. “Without my hammer I cannot-”

“Are you Thor, god of hammers?” Odin asked calmly. The corners of his lips twitched into a small smile. “The hammer helped you control your power, focus it. But it was never the source of your strength.”

Thor rose unsteadily. “It’s too late,” he said. “She’s already taken Asgard.”

His ears were ringing. Why were they ringing?

“Asgard is not a place. It’s a people.” Odin gestured at the field around him. “This could be Asgard. It is wherever our people stand. And right now, those people need you.”

Odin turned, making to leave. “I’m not as strong as you,” Thor said on a gasp. He could feel something digging into his ribs. The swords, he thought. Hela’s swords. The necroblades, his mind supplied unhelpfully, as his mouth filled with blood. Thor coughed, trying to get the metallic taste out.

“No,” Odin said. “You’re stronger.”

A shadow fell over them and Thor returned to the present. Hela dug in the blades deeper and he groaned. He closed his eye. Thinking about his past. His father. His mother. Loki and Sigyn. His friends. Jane. The Avengers. His people. All those he would give his life for. A thousand times over.

Electricity sparked in his hand. “Tell me, brother,” Hela said, digging the blade in deeper. “What were you the god of again?”

Thor roared, and lightning blasted from his hand in a huge explosion, throwing her to the ground, fifty feet below. The wounds cauterised themselves, his powers aiding the healing process. There was no fixing the eye, but the stab wounds had already closed over. He could feel the raw power of the storm coursing through him in a way that he couldn’t ever remember.

 _What were you the god of, again?_ Hela had asked. He knew the answer.

He was Thor Odinson. The god of thunder.

...

Loki had changed back momentarily, when Fenris was distracted by the lightning. He smirked, knowing that Thor had pulled through. He changed back and ripped off a chunk of Fenris’ leg. Fenris roared in pain and slashed back. His claws slashed across Loki’s maw. The wounds stung, but he ignored them.

They were nearing the edge of the falls. If he timed it perfectly…

Fenris pulled him underwater. The clear waters were already stained red from their blood, but still they continued to fight. Loki changed back just in time into a water serpent, coiling himself around a rock. Fenris, however, didn’t have the advantage and fell into the abyss with a baleful shriek.

Loki changed back into his normal form. He held on by one hand. Completely soaked, badly injured. The force of the water on his face made his wounds sting, but the cool temperature was refreshing. _Thank you, Frost Giant genes_. He pulled himself up and changed into an osprey, flying towards the bridge. He landed shakily next to Heimdall, who nodded at him.

“Welcome home, Sire.”

“It’s Loki to you.”

Heimdall smiled. “If you say so.”

Loki grinned, spinning around and drawing his daggers. He lunged at the undead, brutally hacking them down. Their numbers had thinned drastically since Thor had joined the fray, blasting them off the Bifrost with supercharged forks of lightning. He ducked under one of the blades and stabbed the warrior in the gut, pushing himself away. He used the momentum to slide across the bridge and hurl a dagger to stop one of them from stabbing Thor in the neck. Thor noticed the warrior fall and turned to Loki.

All the warriors were dead. Again.

Thor helped him up. “You’re missing an eye,” Loki said, dazed.

“You’re one to talk,” Thor said, sweeping a gaze across his face.

“What do you mean? I’m fine.”

“This isn’t over,” Val said, striding past them.

The three of them stood, and Loki inspected the wound on his arm. It wasn’t too deep, but it was bleeding profusely. He decided to look at it later, and directed his _seidr_ to give him much needed energy. Hela advanced towards them. Slow and deliberate. Loki wiped a hand across his face. It came away red. Well, that explained things.

“I think we should disband the Revengers,” Thor said.

“Hit her with a lightning blast.” Loki was surprised by how exhausted he sounded. He must have been losing more blood than he had originally thought.

“I just hit her with the biggest lightning blast in the history of lightning, it did _nothing_.”

“We need to hold her off until everybody’s on board,” Val panted.

“It won’t end there. The longer Hela’s on Asgard, the more powerful she grows. She’ll hunt us own. We need to stop her here and now.

“What’s our move?”

“I’m not doing ‘Get Help.’” The phrase slipped out before Loki considered it fully. Val shot an odd look at him.

“Asgard’s not a place, it’s a people,” Thor muttered. Loki frowned. “This was never about stopping Ragnarok, this was about _causing_ Ragnarok.”

He turned to Loki. “Surtur’s crown,” he said. “The Vault!” Loki’s eyes widened as he finally understood what Thor meant, which was odd since he usually caught on to his brother’s ideas quickly. “It’s the only way.”

“Bold move, brother,” he said, though his pyromania was already improving his mood. His voice was unsteady, and the words half-slurred from exhaustion, but he felt great. “Even for me.”

He leaped off the Bifrost, changing into an osprey and flying towards the palace. Hela threw a sword at him, which he barely dodged. But he continued, despite his right wing being injured.

Loki changed back when he entered the corridor that led to the Vault and staggered towards the gate. He threw his good shoulder against it. It burst open, and he hurtled down the stairs and grabbed the crown. He stopped for a moment when he spotted the Tesseract, but moved on towards the Eternal Flame.

He placed the skull inside. “With the Eternal Flame,” he said hoarsely, “You are reborn.”

Then he turned on his heel and ran.

...

“HELA! ENOUGH!”

Hela stopped for a moment, to watch Thor yank out the harpoon from his side. He laid down his weapons. “You want Asgard?” he called. “It’s yours.”

He could see an osprey flying towards the ship out of the corner of his eye. Loki landed beside them, staggering as he changed form. His arm was bleeding worse than ever, and so were his numerous other scars. His magic must have been completely tapped out from the change in size.

“Whatever game you’re playing, it won’t work,” Hela said. “You can’t defeat me.”

“No,” Loki said, loud enough for her to hear. He gestured towards the palace. “But he can.”

Hela whirled around to see the palace explode. A giant figure rose, growing in size. Surtur. “No,” she whispered. “NO!”

Thor raised an eyebrow as Loki laid a hand on his shoulder. “He really meant the whole ‘big as a mountain’ thing,” he observed. Loki chuckled, and it turned into a coughing fit that left him clutching onto Thor for balance. “Are you all right?”

“No,” he said. “I’m a Frost Giant. Surtur’s a Fire Giant.” He inhaled sharply as he straightened. “There’s a reason we don’t interact.”

Thor’s eyes widened. Right, of course.

“Tremble before me, Asgard, for I am your reckoning!” Surtur boomed.

“The people are safe,” Val said, though she too looked uneasy. “That’s all that matters.”

“We’re fulfilling the prophecy,” Thor said.

“I hate this prophecy.”

“So do I, but we have no choice. Surtur has to destroy Asgard. Only then can our people live.”

“But we don’t need to be here while he destroys it,” Loki reminded them. “We need to go. Back to the Commodore.” Surtur swung his sword around wildly. Hela was conjuring up weapons to throw at him, while yelling angrily. “ _Now,_ ” Loki snapped, and the others nodded. They ran towards the ship, Thor supporting Loki when he stumbled. Bruce was already at the wheel. “Drive!” Loki yelled. “Just drive!”

They zoomed off towards the larger ships. Val took over the wheel and led them to a docking bay, securing it there so that they could watch what was happening.

Surtur plunged his sword into the heart of the realm. “I am Asgard’s doom!” Loki swayed for a moment due to the force of the blade. Thor placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder worriedly. Loki was pale, past the blood that coated most of his face (how could he see, Thor wondered, the blood was _everywhere_ ), and he looked mildly sick.

They made their way to the front of the larger ship. Asgard’s citizens parted to let them through. Loki was leaning on Thor, which only made him grow more concerned. Loki hated showing any signs of weakness, especially in public.

Korg was saying something, but Thor wasn’t listening. Loki straightened and moved away as Asgard exploded in a rush of white light that was, oddly enough, tinged with blue. “What have I done?” Thor muttered.

Heimdall moved up to his other side. “You saved us from extinction.”

“Asgard is not a place,” Loki said softly. “It’s a people.”

Thor turned to smile at him, but the smile faded when Loki collapsed in a dead faint. He caught the prince before he hit the ground and yelled for a healer, cursing the Norns silently. His brother's skin was _burning_ , and his wounds were still bleeding freely. Was he to save his people only to lose Loki in the process?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry?
> 
> So... that scene when Odin randomly appears to Thor seemed a lot like he showed up just as Hela asked him "What were you the god of again?" and it was too good of an opportunity to miss to ask him if he was the god of hammers  
> I'm pretty sure this was intentional on Taika's part btw
> 
> Also, after I came back from watching the movie for the first time I freaked out over the fate of all the horses, I love them all and I didn't want them to die so THEY DON'T DIE Y'ALL  
> They were all evacuated roughly about the time Loki (and Thor) started getting visions of Ragnarok, which was probably a week or two before this happened. 
> 
> Basically, Loki finds out about the stronghold and decides to use it as a bunker for extra resources in case of emergencies. A while after that, he gets premonitions about something happening to Asgard (but he doesn't know what) and prepares the evacuation and rescue plans. Then, during the last two weeks or so before this happened, he started getting visions of Ragnarok, and they decided to evacuate the horses and other animals to Vanaheim and maybe Alfheim, where they knew they'd be taken care of. Which is why the army that faced Hela was comprised of air-fighters and infantry only (even in the movie, there was no cavalry).
> 
> Also I cried a bit when Fenris fell off the sea
> 
> Another tiny thing: The Ginnungagap in Norse mythology is the Void that surrounds Yggdrasil, but in my story I decided to call the ocean-moat thing that surrounded Asgard the Gap and what _should_ be called the Gap, the Void (aka what Loki fell into way back in chapter five)


	28. Asgard is a People

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter trigger warnings for near-graphic depictions of violence and torture between the following lines - 'Thor was knocked off his feet...' & 'She barely had a moment to brace herself...' and for panic attacks, so if you want to skip those sections you can read the summary in the end notes

 

Loki blinked, confused. For some reason he was lying on a bed. He rose slowly to a sitting position and frowned. Thor had dozed off on a chair beside him. The last thing he could remember was telling Thor something about Asgard being a people.

Thor started awake. “Loki!” he said softly. “You’re awake. How do you feel?”

“I’ve been better,” he said, shrugging. He glanced at his arm, which was covered in dozens of bandages. “You fainted from blood loss,” Thor explained. “And exposure to Surtur, I suspect.”

“That explains why my insides feel like they’re on fire.”

Thor shook his head exasperatedly. “And, your hand, face and neck were mauled by a giant wolf.”

“Look, I killed said wolf. I think I’m the better off of the two.”

He swung his legs over the side and stood. He swayed as a wave of dizziness crashed into him, but held up a hand when Thor moved to rise from the chair. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.” He sat back, though, eyeing Loki carefully.

Loki ignored him and crossed the room shakily to inspect the rest of the wounds. He stared at his reflection. He’d assumed that they were serious, but he didn’t expect the horror show of scratches and cuts across his face and neck. “Those will heal,” he commented. He didn’t know how long it would take.

“I know.”

Thor stepped in beside him, and he finally noticed something he had missed earlier. He had a new eye-patch. The metal gleamed even in the dark. “It suits you,” Loki said. The eye-patch was dark, somewhere between maroon and grey. A silver line slashed across it, reminiscent of a lightning bolt. It was better than Odin’s patchwork-like design, at least.

“You’re not so bad after all. At least Sakaar gave you some fashion sense.”

Loki smiled, but winced when it pulled at the scars. “Well, just try not to make me laugh for a while,” he muttered. "And my fashion sense is better when I have enough materials to make decent armour."

Thor raised an eyebrow, before his expression cleared. "I thought they'd have enough leather for you to make your own armour."

Loki snorted. "I'm surprised they  _had_ leather at all - there wasn't enough for a coat, what ever happened to-"

Thor pulled him into a hug, startling a squeak out of him. He hesitated before hugging him back. "I'm glad you're alright, brother."

Loki hugged Thor tighter before holding him at an arm's distance. "I'm glad as well, even though your eye-" he broke off abruptly, flicking a worried glance across his brother's form. “Did you rest? Last I saw, you lost an impressive amount of blood too, from your eye. And I distinctly remember Hela stabbing you multiple times. I'm sure the Healers are somewhere on this ship, should you need-”

“My lightning helped me heal faster, now that Mjolnir wasn’t limiting it as much. I’ve been here this whole time, and I slept for a bit, so yes, _mother,_ I rested.”

“Are you kidding? I had to threaten to use a spell to do it,” said a familiar voice from the doorway. “I would have been here when you woke up, but a certain Bruce Banner was introducing me to a Valkyrie. My apologies, but I think I found my new best friend.”

Loki spun around abruptly. “Sigyn,” he breathed. “You’re all right.”

“I am,” she agreed. “But I’ve seen better days. And apparently, so have you.”

“What, my fighting off a giant wolf wasn’t impressive?”

“Oh, it was,” she said.

"By the way, I thought  _I_ was your best friend."

"Oh, you are," she assured him, and crushed him in a hug."I missed you, darling."  He carded his fingers through her hair and hummed lightly. “I swear, if you make me think you’re dead one more time...” Her voice was muffled against his shoulder, but he stepped back, eyes wide and earnest.

“Is that what Hela said?” he asked, stunned. “I swear, I had nothing to do with it.”

“I know, Loki,” she said gently. “I didn’t believe her, not completely. I could feel traces of your _seidr_.”

“Hey,” he said, cupping her face in his hands, “You know that I’ll never leave you, right?”

“Not willingly,” she agreed.

“Nor unwillingly. I will never leave you, period. I promised you that all those years ago. And this is one promise I will never go back on, willingly or not. Though my title as god of mischief may lead people to believe otherwise.”

“You’re the god of mischief, not the god of breaking promises,” Sigyn muttered. “But you fell into the Void last time, and if you hadn’t ended up on Midgard-”

“I would have found another way back. I don’t know how, and I’m glad I came back, but even if it brought me to the brink of death, I would have come back to you. I will _always_ return to you.”

“I love you,” she said, burying her head in the crook of his neck. “So much.”

“And I love you.”

“Norns, you both are adorable,” Thor commented cheerfully.

He probably deserved the stopper they threw at him, but he was chuckling even as he ducked to avoid the flying projectile.

...

“So,” Heimdall asked. “Where to?”

“Vanaheim,” Loki suggested. He had announced to the rest of their people that Thor was taking over as king now. They hadn’t been too disappointed with the change, though they wanted a coronation ceremony. Loki had appeased them by telling them that they could celebrate after settling down. “I already asked them, they were okay with the people staying there. Though I told them that you might come to another decision,” he added to Thor.

“And what of the Sakaarian gladiators?”

“Ria can handle them,” Sigyn said. “Alva will be glad to have new people. They always welcome refugees, but our people wouldn’t stand a chance there. Asgard can take the Statesman, while the Sakaarians can take the Ark.” She met Thor’s gaze across the table. “Is that fine?”

“It’s a wonderful plan. Korg can lead the Sakaarians to Ria, and tell them that we sent them there. But, I would like to take Asgard to Earth.”

“What?” Loki and Bruce exclaimed in unison. “Thor, Earth already has an ongoing refugee crisis, they won’t accept us.”

“Well, we do have four thousand years under my reign,” Thor said. “And we are few in number. I will be patient.”

Loki muttered a few colourful phrases under his breath. Sigyn tried not to laugh. The Council reluctantly agreed to go to Earth, while the Sakaarian refugees would continue on to Ria.

...

Loki sat next to a porthole and stared out into the distance. Thor and Sigyn were speaking in low voices as they entered, and the two of them joined him when they saw him. Loki stood and wrapped an arm around his wife. Sigyn leaned into the one-armed embrace.

“Do you think it’s a good idea to go back to Earth?”

“Yes, of course. The people love us.”

Loki bit back a smile. “Let me rephrase that,” he said wryly, “do you think it’s a good idea to bring _all of Asgard_ back to Earth?”

“Probably not,” Thor admitted. “But don’t worry, brother. I have a feeling everything’s going to turn out alright.”

Loki and Sigyn stared at him in disbelief before a dark shadow loomed over them. Loki sucked in a breath and stepped back from the shape in front of the Statesman. Sigyn and Thor looked at him in concern. “Loki?” Thor asked.

“It’s _him_ ,” he whispered. Memories of his time in the Void rose to the surface of his mind. “I – It’s –”

“Loki, what happened? How did he find us?” Sigyn asked.

“He must have been tracking me. I threw the Tesseract into the centre of the Eternal Flame, in order to destroy it. That’s why Asgard was obliterated so completely. I think the signature must have rubbed off on me.”

The Statesman shook. Loki swore. “He’s trying to break the shields,” he said, and sprinted out into the hallway. He summoned multiple projections, weaving his magic in different directions as fast as he could. Sigyn stepped forward next to him and took his hand, lending him her strength.

Soon, all of Asgard was huddled together in the main deck. Loki explained the entire situation to them. “I’m sending you all someplace safe, away from the Mad Titan,” Loki said. Thor drew in a sharp breath. Loki had never told him who his tormentor was. He exchanged a horrified look with Sigyn. The Titan was a ruthless killer, when he wasn’t ‘rescuing’ people from the planets he destroyed. That Loki had fallen into his grasp...

Heimdall sent them to Earth. Only he, Thor, and Sigyn remained behind. Loki wove more illusions, and made the ship seem animated with people. Thor had tasked Val with ensuring that the Asgardian survivors would reach a place where they could settle. She and Heimdall would be leaders until the Odinsons took over once more.

Thor was knocked off his feet when the last blast tore apart the hull of the Statesman. Everything went dark, and when he woke, all he felt was pain. Pure agony, from a pressure in the side of his head. He woke with a scream of agony to find the pressure subside. He could hear Loki’s cries, yelling at them to stop.

He had a feeling he blacked out for the next bit, since the next thing he knew was that Loki had thrown himself at Thor, knocking him out of the Titan’s way. His hand cupped the back of Thor’s head, and he stayed bent over Thor as metal shards slashed through his armour. He could tell from Loki’s hiss that some of them had gotten through the leathers of his armour. Thor tried to do something, _anything_ , to help his brother, but he was unable to lift any of his limbs. Thor groaned when something sent agony ripping through him.

Loki was hushing him, trying to convince him that everything would be okay even though the fear in his voice was transparent enough for Thor to pick up on in his half delirious state. He opened his eyes as Loki was pulled away from him with a shout. He made to protest, but his speech deserted him. “Lo…” he whispered, and the next thing he knew was black.

...

Sigyn, who had been thrown back by the explosion, woke to the sensation of her husband’s magic screaming for help. She lashed out with her _seidr_ at the Titan. It hit Thanos square in the chest and caused him to drop her husband, who crumpled to the floor. She sensed that Loki had cast a spell to make her look invisible and completely undetectable, and used the advantage to pull Loki out of the Titan’s way.

The fact that his magic still held – all around here were images of bodies sprawled across the floor, and she had to admit that her husband had really outdone himself in terms of accuracy – did nothing to convince her that Loki was okay. He was much more careful than that. Sigyn dropped her hand to Loki’s wrist, searching for a pulse.

Thanos grunted in dismay at not finding the Space Stone and retreated with the rest of the Black Order back to his ship. What had Loki called it before? The Sanctuary. She barely had a moment to brace herself before the Statesman exploded around them.

...

Loki woke up with a panicked cry, hands flying to his throat. His dream – no, his _vision_ – had been incredibly graphic in nature. When he found that he was alright, that the Titan wasn’t killing him, he sank back into the mattress in relief. He pressed his hands to his eyes and drew deep, shuddering breaths.

Sigyn stirred beside him and raised herself up on one elbow. “What’s wrong?”

“I had a vision,” he mumbled.

Sigyn pushed herself upright and pulled her husband to her, holding her close as he shivered. “Darling, you’re trembling like a leaf,” she said concernedly.

Loki didn’t respond, instead his shaky breaths became hitching sobs. Sigyn was only more worried, but stroked his hair gently as he cried into her shoulder. “You’re alright, love, it’s fine, we’re all fine.”

Loki wept for what seemed like hours and finally dried his eyes with the corner of his sleeve. Sigyn kissed his forehead and he leaned against her, drawing comfort from her presence. “Do you want to talk about it?” she wouldn’t pester him if he didn’t, but all the same, it was better for him to be over with it as soon as he could.

“I… we were discussing the situation with the refugees, and – and the Sanctuary destroyed our ship. Or tried to. Thor was – The Titan, he wanted the Tesseract, and he came for me.”

“So did you have it in your vision?”

“No, I didn’t. I threw it into the heart of the Eternal Flame. It’s completely gone.”

“Darling, I was just asking,” she soothed, though the revelation of his tormentor sent her reeling. She pushed aside her horror and focused on calming her husband down.

Loki nodded, but it was a few moments before he could continue. “H-he found us, and tried to get to me by-by hurting Thor. He had – he had the Power Stone, and he used it on Thor. Nearly c-crushed his head.” By this, he was crying again. He had told her how much pain an Infinity Stone could cause. He curled up into a ball, head in his hands. “I – Thor fainted from the pain, it was – Norns, he was killing _everyone_ and Thor was probably next in line after-”

“Loki, Thor is alright. He’s probably in his bed right now. Or talking to Bruce or Heimdall. We’re all fine.”

Loki whimpered, clearly not believing Sigyn’s reassurances. Sigyn knew that only one thing could calm her husband now. She moved over until she was directly in front of him and took his hands in hers. Loki didn’t resist, though he made no effort move on his own. “Loki, love, please look at me.”

He raised his head slowly, and her heart ached to see him like this. She reached out with her _seidr_ , allowing it to flow freely over their hands. Loki’s own _seidr_ responded automatically and wove itself between the coppery tendrils. Loki watched the display in silence, though he shifted his position to mimic hers. Sigyn tugged him forward gently into a kiss. Loki extracted one hand to wrap it around her, pulling her close. She cupped his jaw gently with her now free hand, the other one still curling with magic.

“I wondered when I would be able to do this again, on Sakaar.”

“Now you don’t have to,” Sigyn murmured. “Wonder, I mean. But you must finish the vision.” She hated that he had to relive his nightmare, but it was the only way he would be able to rest after this. They had found this out the hard way when Loki hadn’t been able to recount his vision, back on Asgard, and found himself trapped in it night after night until he’d told her what it was.

“I know,” Loki said tiredly, leaning back against the headrest. He closed his continued in a toneless voice. “The Titan tried to get me to cooperate through Thor, but I didn’t have what he wanted. So he decided that the next best thing to do was try to kill me. Dispose of the witnesses, so to speak. I wasn’t sure if he knew of you, since I had buried my memories as best as I would while I was on the Sanctuary. But I wasn’t going to take the risk, so I hid you with an illusion.

“You woke up to see me - to see me nearly dead, and made the Titan release me with a burst of your _seidr_. Though I doubt he knew that it was you. He left with the Black Order, and the Statesman exploded.”

Sigyn looked stricken. “Loki…”

“He tried to strangle me,” Loki finished bluntly. Sigyn’s eyes widened. “All because of a mess I got myself into six years ago.”

“Are you… blaming yourself for falling off the Bifrost?” Sigyn asked incredulously. “You were fending off the Frost Giants!”

“But I broke the Bifrost, and because of that, I landed on the planet of the Chitauri!”

“You had no other choice. Sweetheart, _please_ don’t blame yourself for this. You couldn’t do it any other way, though I wish you could have. The Norns have not been kind to you, but you can’t think yourself the harbinger of it all.”

Loki sighed, looking utterly defeated in a way that made Sigyn’s heart ache. She inched forward and pulled him back into a hug. His arms went around her after a slight hesitation. She stroked his hair gently and hummed an old tune from their early centuries.

Loki rested his head on her shoulder, nuzzling the crook of her neck. She pressed a kiss to his hair and laid him back down on the bed gently. He made a sound of protest when she moved away, so she gestured for him to wait and laid back down next to him, positioning herself in such a way that he was in her arms. She could practically feel his joints relax as he settled against her.

Within moments, they were asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick summary of what happened after the ship was attacked, by the way this is a vision and not actually happening - Thanos had come to search for the Tesseract, which Loki didn't have, and tried to coerce him into giving it up by using the Power Stone to hurt Thor. When he understood that Loki genuinely didn't have the Tesseract, he tried to tie off all lose ends. Sigyn noticed Loki's magic calling for her help and sent a burst of energy to push Thanos away. The Titan then exploded the ship around them and left to get the Time Stone.
> 
> Which is about the time Loki wakes up from the vision - this, by the way, is a downside to whatever the Waters of Sight did to affect his powers. I think I mentioned (or I may not, but here's a recap anyway if I have) in the past that when Loki jumped in to save Thor, he wasn't looking for any vision or answers in particular. However, the waters do have some side effects, which they understood to be visions of alternate realities, of the actual, genuine future, and maybe the past. Problem is, Loki can't tell if something from the future is a part of their timeline or not, and that is the true consequence for diving into the magical fortune telling pool.
> 
> So he wakes up and tries to, for want of a better word, recover - from what happened, and Sigyn comforts him and they go back to sleep.
> 
> Backtrack a little to the beginning of the chapter - Thor is a HUGE Logyn shipper, by the way, and totally calls Sigyn his sister  
> I also headcanon Sigyn as panromantic-ace, so what I'm alluding to when Loki and Sigyn talk about being best friends is how their relationship grew. And, it's also kind of... how I look at romantic love. So Loki and Sigyn are best friends first, and a couple later (and it kinda shows). 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	29. What Heroes Do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is 2,500 words fluff and fluff only (to make up for last chapter's angst)  
> A more accurate title for this chapter would be "What Heroes Do in Their Spare Time" but I was sticking to song titles so there you go

Sigyn didn’t miss how tired Loki looked the next day when she stepped out of the attached shower. He was already almost dressed, just pulling his overcoat over the sleeveless layer of armour he wore under it. Sigyn could see the faint scars that ran across his shoulders for a moment before he shrugged on the overcoat. She remembered seeing them fully the day after he had returned to Asgard. Whip marks, bruises, half-healed burns… she had taken him to Haldis immediately, since he was adamant that Eir didn’t see. Haldis had nearly been sick at the sight, but they had quickly and efficiently treated him to the best of their abilities.

She pulled herself back to the present.

 Loki seemed to sense her gaze and turned to face her with a smile before he knelt to lace his boots. She grinned back at her husband, glad that he was in higher spirits that morning (if it was morning, it was hard to tell on the Statesman while they were floating through deep space). Last night had been one of his worse visions, and he usually took a while to recover from such events. That he was in a good mood and didn’t want to rest all day bode well for him, she thought happily.

She quickly brushed her hair when Loki stepped up behind her and offered to braid it. She didn’t object. Loki swiftly separated her hair into sections and pulled them gently into a long braid. He had always been good at styling her hair. She leaned back into his touch, familiar and comforting as it was.

When he finished braiding the last section, he summoned a hair tie which he’d borrowed from Pepper the last time they’d been in Midgard and tied it deftly, sliding it over her shoulder. Sigyn smiled at Loki across the mirror, and he beamed back. He pressed a kiss to her temple before extending a hand. She took it with a playful curtsey and let him escort her from their room.

...

Thor was a lot more observant than people gave him credit for, especially when it came to his brother. Sigyn knew that Loki would talk to Thor about his vision when he was ready to face it again, and that Thor had noticed the lingering exhaustion that came after a vision. She and Thor were the only people to know the particular details of his time on the Sanctuary. Most of the others knew the short version – Loki had fallen from the Bifrost, had landed on the Chitauri planet and had been tortured and mind controlled to do their bidding (though he always argued that he had been _influenced_ , and that that was a completely different thing). They knew not to ask further, out of respect and basic decency.

They automatically went to the small shelf that held their rations (which somehow included coffee) and brewed a cup for Thor, who took it gratefully. The young king was working late into the night, often solving disputes long after the rest of the remaining council, and even Loki and Sigyn, had turned in for the night. The four of them – Loki, Sigyn, Bruce, and the Valkyrie, who recently revealed her name to be Brunnhilde – usually did their best to stay up with him and help him with his responsibilities.

Brunnhilde staggered into the hall, clearly sleep-deprived and hungover. “Ugh,” she muttered in greeting. She went straight to Loki, who obliged her request for a spell to cure the hangover. He rested a palm on her forehead. It glowed green for a minute and the Valkyrie blinked, surprised by the clarity it provided. “Thanks, Lackey.”

Ah, yes, the nickname. It had stuck after the time she’d called him that on Sakaar and since then, she’d refused to call him anything else. Sigyn could tell, despite his repeated protests, that he somewhat liked its uniqueness. She shook her head fondly.

“You’d think after a few thousand years of alcoholism I’d be used to hangovers,” she commented as she accepted a cup of coffee from Loki. “And then you come along, with a spell that works wonders.”

“There’s a non-magical version I can make for you when we get to Midgard,” he said, amused. “It’s rather simple to prepare and you don’t need to come to me every time.”

“Why aren’t we there already? It sounds fantastic. Do they have good drinks?”

“Our little green planet?” Bruce asked as he sank into the couch next to Thor. He smiled at the couple and nodded at Brunnhilde. “Some of them are good, I’m told.”

“They do nothing to our systems,” Thor said bluntly. “You’d be better off in Alfheim or Vanaheim.”

“You know, we Vanir don’t drink much either,” Sigyn pointed out. “So mead isn’t so much in production.”

“True, but it tastes wonderful.”

“The alcoholic one?” Sigyn was surprised – everyone hated it, including the few Jotnar they’d had over the last few years.

“Oh, no, that’s just nasty – the non-alcoholic kind is far better.”

“You _have_ always had a sweet tooth,” Thor mused. Loki shrugged, eyes dancing. There was something in his expression that Sigyn couldn’t quite place, before remembering it as the look he wore when he meant to surprise someone. She found herself growing excited for whatever it was. From the look on Thor’s face (and he was practically radiating excitement) he seemed to be in on it as well.

Brunnhilde caught Sigyn’s eye and raised an eyebrow. Sigyn shrugged in reply. The two of them had become friends while they had journeyed together on the Statesman. She had been the first to know the former general’s true name.

“Well, we don’t have any important meetings today,” Loki said with a glance at their schedule. “And we’ve got everything planned for the next leg of the journey.”

“Is it just me, or does it look like it’s going to be a long day?” Brunnhilde asked.

“You know, it actually does,” Loki said. “But it doesn’t have to be long and _boring_.”

...

That evening, every Revenger ended up dripping paint on the floor. Thor seemed to be the most colourful, splattered with every shade of the rainbow, and Brunnhilde got off easy with a few blue shots (Loki wondered when Asgard had trained Valkyries in projectile weapons) and Sigyn was covered in streaks of yellow and green (Loki’s proud handiwork). Bruce, thanks to a gleeful Thor, sported hair that was a vibrant pink.

Loki, meanwhile, was liberally splattered with paint that _glittered_. Loki had no idea where they’d found the paint, but Sigyn and Brunnhilde had ambushed him and now he was completely covered in holographic glitter. Thor had taken one look at him and burst out laughing. Loki had retaliated by firing a burst of bright orange paint at the centre of his brother’s forehead.

Despite all their efforts to get rid of the paint, the colours still stained their hair. Thor and Bruce weren’t too disappointed with their new looks (Thor said it distracted him from how his hair was cut in the first place), and Loki didn’t mind it either. Sigyn and Brunnhilde somehow hadn’t got a single spot of paint in their hair, thanks to a rather nifty spell the princess had used on them, and Loki’s raven locks were _shimmering_ in the dim light. Sigyn noticed something she’d missed earlier and burst into peals of laughter once more. “It’s glow-in-the-dark glitter,” she managed to say.

Thor was visibly holding back laughter and Bruce was grinning widely. Brunnhilde was doubled over and practically howling with amusement. Loki looked mystified for a moment about the reaction his sparkly, apparently glowing hair garnered before joining the rest of them.

“You’re like our nightlight,” the Valkyrie observed. “Our glittery magic nightlight.”

“…thanks, Brun.”

Well, what good was a trickster who couldn’t laugh at themselves once in a while?

...

The rest of the Aesir stared at the Revengers when they passed them, though they didn’t look surprised. They seemed to like the bright colours that the princes wore. More than one child had run up to Loki and asked him to make their hair like his own. He had agreed, and woven an illusion around their hair to make it seem glittery for a few hours (after a day’s search, they _still_ didn’t know where the paint came from, and weren’t particularly inclined to find out).

Sigyn and Thor watched fondly as he amused the children. They had lost so much in a span of days, and welcomed any distractions they could get. And Loki was probably the best they had to offer, with his childlike love for mischief and chaos. He wove elaborate illusions to accompany stories that he made up on the spot, which had encouraged a few of the older Aesir to ask him whether they could start the theatre company again.

Thor had looked bewildered at this, and Sigyn had been laughing too hard to explain. The story was this – Loki had had one main issue with Asgard: it was thoroughly lacking in the dramatic arts. The few plays that had been written in the past by Bragi, the god of poetry, had been performed so many times that audiences never showed up to them any longer. When Loki had been crowned, his first order had been to set up a stage with all the necessary implements to put up a good show.

_“The Norns know we have become a sorry bunch,” he said to Sigyn. “We need some sort of entertainment here, and you can only listen to the warriors’ tales so many times before wanting to throw them – and yourselves – into the Ginnungagap.”_

He’d written several plays specifically for them, and brought in several others from the rest of the Nine Realms. Most of the actors used _seidr_ to enhance the effects, and the people of Asgard had grown to love the performances over the year they had been established.

It made sense that they would want to continue with the plays, even on the spaceship. Loki had looked torn at this, considering the limited resources they had, but had agreed to the request. That night, all the Aesir were crowded onto the main deck to watch the actors perform the Midgardian play, _A Midsummer Night’s Dream._

They loved it.

...

“Any plans to tell us what you’re so excited about?” Sigyn asked Loki as they settled into the bed.

“You’ll find out soon, my love,” he replied with a dazzling smile.

Loki’s heart stuttered for a moment when Sigyn gave him that _look_ , the only one that matched his own version, and felt his face heat up.

“Nice try,” he said hoarsely. He knew he was blushing furiously. Curse the glowing hair for making it so obvious. A strand fell into his eyes. It was bright pink, bordering on red, as opposed to the bright silver it had been earlier. Great – it was glow-in-the-dark _mood_ glitter. “But you have to wait.”

Sigyn sighed dramatically and curled up beside him. “I suppose I shall,” she said, with an air of sacrificing something precious.

Loki tickled her under her ribs and she giggled uncontrollably, trying to get away from him. “Okay, okay, I get it,” she managed to say, and the fingers lifted. She turned to face him and leaned into him, resting her head on his chest. His eyes fluttered shut, and minutes later, his breathing evened out.

The sound of his steady heartbeat pulled her into slumber as well.

...

“Thor,” Loki hissed.

“What?”

“We’re nearing the system.”

Thor sat up straight. “Are the others awake?”

“Sigyn is asleep. I’m with her, actually. This is just an illusion. I am also checking up on Bruce – wait – he’s asleep.”

Thor rose and tossed the covers aside. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“I’m not exactly going anywhere.”

...

Thor and Loki were watching the stars with matching grins on their faces. They hadn’t told anyone their plans, keeping the last stretch of navigation their secret. With Thor’s calculations and Loki’s expert navigation, the two of them had piloted the Statesman into the Milky Way Galaxy.

“We have to transmit a signal to Earth, you realise,” Thor said.

“No matter. I can call Tony and ask him to patch it through to the authorities.”

Thor nodded. “It is a good thing you managed to make that communication device of yours.”

Loki shrugged. “It’s just a phone.”

Thor grinned. “Still.”

Loki smiled back. “Still,” he agreed.

...

“What do you mean, the Avengers broke up?” Loki asked Tony.

_“Well, the Avengers didn’t break up, we’re okay, but Steve and I had an argument that blew way out of proportion. It shouldn’t affect any of you guys.”_

“What about our people, will there be place for us on Earth?” Thor asked.

_“Uh, how many people did you say it was?”_

“A few hundred. A thousand at most. We haven’t been able to take a proper census yet.”

 _“That’s terrible,”_ Tony said sympathetically. _“And your sister too.”_

“She was my sister by blood, yes. I didn’t really know anything else about her, not until three days before we had to burn down the planet.”

“Which you so kindly made me do,” Loki grumbled. Thor looked guilty, and Loki held up his hand. “I don’t blame you. It had to be done. And I can admit to being a bit of a pyromaniac.”

_“Guys? We should have place for you all. But it’s going to be a bit complicated since America’s not too keen on refugees at the moment. And maybe don’t mention the pyromania in the meetings?”_

“Right, we don’t plan on staying in the States, it would be too much of a change for our people.”

_“Then what would you suggest?”_

Loki looked up at Thor, knowing that they were both thinking the same thing. “Norway,” they said in unison.

...

“Bruce!” Loki yelled. “Bruce!”

“Banner, where are you?” Thor called. “We’re not playing hide and seek!”

“Guys, I’m here,” Bruce said, skidding into the room, shirt on backwards in his haste to get there. “What’s up?”

Sigyn and Brunnhilde entered the room, looking confused. “Is there a reason you’re yelling the roof down?” the Valkyrie asked them.

They ignored the question and marched the trio towards the window. “I believe you’d want to see this,” Loki said.

Bruce’s jaw dropped. The others stared.

Thor whooped in joy, and Loki laughed as Sigyn hugged him tightly. Bruce was standing still, in shock and awe and surprise. Then he leaped at Thor with a yell, wrapping his arms around him tightly in an enthusiastic hug.

Thanos could wait.

Everything else could wait.

“We’re actually going to live on Earth? All of us?” Bruce’s eyes were shining – much as he was insecure about the people’s reaction to the Hulk, he still loved his home planet.

Thor nodded. “We got it settled with your leaders,” he said. “We will be setting up a town in Norway.”

“What do we call it?” Brunnhilde asked.

Loki grinned. “Asgardia.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand SCENE!  
> You guys are all amazing, thank you for sticking with me for this long and leaving kudos and amazing comments - even if I haven't replied to all of them, I seriously love them and they often make my day
> 
> Also, the name Asgardia was just something that came to me the other day - I had originally planned on calling their new home the creative name of 'New Asgard' - but any reference I might have made to the comics is completely unintentional, I know absolutely nothing about the comics and I just liked the way 'Asgardia' sounded
> 
> I know I've left a few questions unanswered here, but worry not for I have news - I'll be posting a sequel to this story (I'm not sure when, but it's currently being written) that addresses and fixes the mess that is Infinity War. 
> 
> BUT THERE'S A CATCH!
> 
> I will not be adhering to the plot of IW, mainly because the plot made no sense, but I will be borrowing from the Norse myths (read: butchering them) and canon. It will pick up after the Aesir are all settled on Earth, with a lot of interesting changes in the storyline. It's going to be my first multichapter fic with an original plot, huh, so... I guess you'll have to wait and see?
> 
> -sil


End file.
